Save Me
by Hatter Child
Summary: Everyone wants to try out new things. Anyone who says different can be dubbed a liar or close minded. This kind of urge happens at such a young and mindful age and can usually happen at the strangest moments. Totally revamped story, same chapters. R&R plz
1. Chapter 1

After reading the manga, like, a trillion times, I figure that I should put this story to use. :D. It was originally a story I got a grade for in my English 4 class and I got an A (not that that mattered lol). I changed a crap load of stuff around, such as setting and characters obviously. I hope that it'll turn out as good as I imagine.

I own nothing, only the story. I really gotta start putting that in my work. The entire story, even the original version, was based off the song 'Save Me' by My Darkest Days.

I gave a crappy summery on the shorter thingy so here's the better summery. I changed the entire summery and the entire plot of the story, but none of the chapters have changed. It'll still go along with what I'm trying to accomplish.

Summery:

Everyone wants to try out new things. Anyone who says different can be dubbed a liar or close minded. This kind of urge happens at such a young and mindful age and can usually happen at the strangest moments.

Even knowing that he's useless at hunting and to his knowledge, everything else, Yuuen tried to find a better outlet. But during his suffering of a harsh illness which drives his mind with thoughts of leaving his home, his family and his lover, he thinks that maybe it's time to cut himself loose from them all, for their sake of going on without him. He feels it's best.

Along his way out of his nest, Yuuen will realize how much potential he has in many different skills. But will knowing that be enough to make him consider going home? Even he doesn't know.

* * *

><p>The moving of the tribes was stressful and hard on the people. Everyone was exhausted, tired and hot from the heat of the sun. The hunters were already tired from forcing the rival tribe away before coming to the negotiations of moving to the farther end of the lake and moving both large tribes was difficult.<p>

But their new location was just as good, if not better. The position of the sun landed right on the lake bed during the day so the people wouldn't get too hot and the forest was covering where wind usually blew, making it plenty warm enough in the winter, which was already in progress.

There was a soft breeze blowing, making a chill trail down Yuuen's back as he stared out at the lake, hearing the women prepare the dinner that the hunters all caught. Now that the two tribes were together, food rations went crazy high, making it difficult to run out...which was good.

Yuuen shivered and rubbed his arms, feeling slightly cold, but warm all at once. He had been feeling weird the last few days. His stomach hurt and he was shaky all the time. He would get slightly dizzy, then focus again. He wasn't sure what was causing it but all he knew was he didn't like it.

A sudden warmth was set on his shoulders, making him jump and look up into HIS eyes. And those dark eyes made him smile. He gripped the fur blanket closer to him and shivered.

"Thank you, Emba..."

"Why are you sitting so close to the water? It's freezing and you'll catch your death out here...is something wrong?"

"Mmmm no, nothing is wrong...felt a little sore but I'm better."

Emba smiled and wrapped his arm around the boy, nuzzling him to his chest, rubbing his head. Yuuen nearly purred and relaxed against the man, the fur blanket still gripped tight in his hands.

It was then that Yuuen's stomach was starting to churn again and he let out a soft groan, rubbing his stomach. It didn't go unnoticed.

"Yuuen, what is it?"

The man saw the boy rubbing his tummy, his eyes scrunched in pain, sweat trickling from his scalp. Emba replaced Yuuen's hand with his own, gently rubbing the boys stomach in soft circles. He heard Yuuen let out a soft moan and relax quickly.

After a short while, the boy removed Emba's hand and said,

"I think...I am going to skip dinner tonight...I'm very tired."

He stood and stared out at the lake. It looked peaceful, aside from the waves from the wind. He felt Emba's hand on his shoulder and he heard his lovers stern voice.

"Yuuen, you've been skipping dinner for 3 nights now. It's not healthy. What's going on? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Emba. You don't need to worry about me...I am perfectly...healthy..."

Emba was not convinced. He noticed the hesitation in Yuuen's voice, hearing how shaky his voice seemed. Inside his mind, there was a voice telling him to demand an answer. It wasn't like Yuuen to keep secrets from him. Especially not when it involved Yuuen himself.

He had noticed the slight tremors in his voice, how pale he had gotten. He noticed how the boy wouldn't eat and when he did, it would be very small portions. His eyes seemed listless, glazed.

He cupped the boys face in his hand and kissed his forehead, rubbing his cheek.

"Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine. Honest. I just haven't been hungry in the last few days."

"You also haven't been getting any sleep. Yuuen, every night, it seems like you are dying of heat stroke. You pant and you start to sweat horribly. Now I ask you again: Are you sure...that NOTHING is wrong?"

The boy shivered. He hated that look in Emba's eyes. The look of deep concern and worry. Yuuen hated lying to the man he loved, but he didn't want him worried about anything around him...

He shook his head and rubbed Emba's face, kissing his cheek.

"I'm fine, love. Honest."

Emba sighed and nodded, taking Yuuen's hand and leading him back to the village. Yuni turned and smiled at the sight of the two of them, though his smile faded when he saw the concerned look on Emba's face as he lightly pushed Yuuen into their tent, closing it up. As he walked up to him, he heard Emba sigh and Yuni said,

"Emba, is something wrong?"

The man turned to the village chief and said,

"It's Yuuen. I'm not sure, but he doesn't look well and I can tell he's lying to me about it. But he won't...he won't talk to me about it."

Yuni sighed and set his hand on the mans shoulder, looking into those eyes.

"Yuuen is very hard to understand. Even I, his own father, have a hard time trying to speak with him and understand how he is. Even before you and your tribe, he was quiet and timid, and it only made it worse when he failed in hunting. That's why I'm happy he has you. But I see his attitude as much as you do. The only thing I can think of is just stay with him. Alright?"

Emba nodded and was about to walk into the tent, but was stopped when Yuni said,

"Ahh bring him some food first. I noticed he has not been eating these last few days. His brother is getting worried, I am getting worried. And I see many of the others getting worried. I want you to stay with him until he gets notably better. Understood?"

Again, Emba nodded and walked to the large fire were the food was being prepared. Yuni looked into the tent and saw Yuuen laying in he large mats, covered in fur blankets, shivering. He looked cold, nearly frozen at best. It made Yuni clutch his chest in heart wrenching pain. He hated to see his youngest child in such frozen pain...or whatever pain he was in.

Sighing again, he closed the tent flap and walked back over to his friend, Salem, who looked up at him with a look of concern.

"Yuni, my friend, are you alright?"

"No...my son is ill, but he refuses to tell anyone, including myself. But I can see it from where he lays. He's ill..."

"Yuni, come sit and relax. I'm sure you are not the only one who can see that he is ill. But it is Yuuen we are talking about, yes?"

Yuni nodded and Salem went on.

"From what you have told me, he's very stubborn about talking about his problems since the situation with my son a year ago. But I'm sure he'll be fine. All he needs is some rest and some food. And of course comfort and love from the people. And now that I think about it, Emba won't let him out of his sight if he knew. Try not to worry."

Yuni nodded, knowing his friend was correct. Even though Yuuen seemed ill, Emba wouldn't dare to let him out of his sight if he knew.

*Hours later*

The fire pit was letting off smoke as the fire was being extinguished. Everyone was trailing into their tents for the night.

Emba and Yuuli were standing in their fathers tent, awaiting lookout orders. Yuni blew some smoke from his pipe and looked at his son, who held his spear with determination, as did Emba. Yuni looked over at Salem, who sighed and rubbed his neck. He spoke up and said,

"I think Yuuli should take the first watch, then it shall be Emba's turn in 4 hours. Sound fair?"

Yuni nodded and looked at his son, who said,

"Chief Salem, I will proudly take the first watch."

He looked up and smiled at the other man.

"Emba, while I have my first watch, please take care of my brother. We all can see how sick he is, regardless of him telling us."

Emba smiled and nodded, bowed and left the tent, spear in hand. He walked across the village to the large tent, stepped inside and slowly walked over to the large fur mat bedding. He noticed that Yuuen was still sound asleep, breathing deeply and soundly. Emba couldn't help but smile and set his spear down, crawling into the bedding and wrapped his arms around the boy, kissing his head.

Yuuen let out a sudden intake of air and his eyes opened. He turned his head and saw a flow of black hair and he smiled. The boy struggled but managed to turn over in Emba's arms, nuzzling against his chest.

"You're warm..."

Emba noticed the raspy tone in Yuuen's voice. His throat must've been very dry and very much sore. Regardless, Emba pulled him tighter to him and kissed his hair again, rubbing his bare back.

"I should be. You seem very cold. Are you sleeping better?"

He felt Yuuen nod against his chest, which made him chuckle, continuing to rub his back. There was a soft silence between the two of them and Yuuen loved the feel of Emba's strong chest move up and down as he took breaths of air. Yuuen looked up and saw the Emba was still very much awake. It earned a soft,

"Emba, you should get some sleep. You have watch in a few hours."

"Oh? How did you know that?"

Yuuen rubbed his eyes and sat up, moving his blond hair out of his eyes and said,

"Well, if you had watch first, you wouldn't be in here now would you?"

Emba chuckled and nodded. Yuuen was right about that. Yuuen smiled and laughed a little, which died quickly as he started coughing madly into his arm. Emba was up in a shot and rubbed Yuuen's back, feeling his muscles squeeze every time he coughed violently. The coughing grew more harsh as Yuuen fell to his knees, trying to regain his breath through his coughing.

Emba, now greatly worried, waited for the boy to stop coughing. Once he finally stopped, he collapsed against Emba's chest, shuddering horribly. The older man wrapped his arms around the boy, kissing his neck, rubbing his flat stomach. Yuuen felt his throat tightening, then relaxing.

Emba sighed and relaxed, laying Yuuen down next to him and rubbed his cheeks. The boy shivered and let out soft sobs in his lovers chest, feeling his warm hand on his cold upper back. Emba kissed the top of Yuuen's head, whispering,

"Yuuen, why didn't you tell us you felt ill?"

"I...I didn't want you to worry about me...with winter c-coming, we need to focus on hunting for food. My illness...it would've been a burden to you all..."

The boy wiped his eyes and curdled even closer to his lovers chest. Emba wrapped his arms even tighter around Yuuen's thin body, running his fingers through his hair.

"Shhh. It's ok. Your illness could never be a burden to us. All you really need right now is rest and fluids. Tomorrow, we'll go to the lake and get you some water. Your body needs it. Alright?"

Yuuen nodded and let out a shuddering sigh, pulling the fur blanket over his shoulders. He shut his eyes, falling slowly into sleep, Emba watching him for a few moments. The man smiled when Yuuen's face grew peaceful once again. Finally giving in, he too shut his eyes and went to sleep, rubbing his lovers back gently.

* * *

><p>All that next morning, while the stronger men were out on a hunting mission, the women were lighting the fires and cooking up large meals. They chatted for hours, laughing and telling stories.<p>

Yuni blew smoke into the air, looking over at the tent across from theirs. He noticed that Yuuen hadn't moved from the tent since last night and while he figured his youngest was still sleeping, he grew immensely worried. It wasn't like Yuuen to stay in bed all day, regardless of how he felt.

He walked across the tribe, smiling at all the children who bidded him good morning. When he got to the tent, he walked inside and saw Yuuen still laying on the bedding, bundled in the fur blanket. His blond hair stuck out in all different directions. Yuni tilted his head and reached out to touch his sons head, moving some hair from his face. It made Yuuen jump at the touch and open his eyes.

"Whose...?"

"Shhh it's me. How are you feeling?"

Yuuen struggled to sit up but when he did, he let out mad coughs. Yuni noticed his eyes were bloodshot. He reached out and rubbed the boys forehead, eyes widening at how warm it was.

"Yuuen, dear god what's happened to you. You look horrible."

"I feel horrible...father, my stomach and head are throbbing. It hurts to breath and it hurts to talk. I feel dizzy and the sight of food makes me sick. It feels like I'm dying..."

To make matters worse, Yuuen's eyes widened and he suddenly fell to his knees, clutching his stomach and letting out dry heaves. Yuni's eyes widened again as he quickly helped Yuuen outside and they ran to the bushes, passing by the people who looked at them with confused stares.

Once in the bushes, Yuuen fell roughly to his knees and clutched his stomach tighter, continuing to let out dry heaves, knowing something was about to come out of him. Sure enough, his eyes widened and he vomited. Everything in his stomach, gone. Released onto the dirt and grass.

Yuuen felt his body giving out after he stopped and he started swaying back and forth, threatening to fall in his own waste. Just before he hit the dirt, Yuni grabbed him and quickly moved him from the waste pile. He stood them both up and walked them to the lake, noticing how Yuuen's legs wouldn't work well for him. Once at the lake, he sat Yuuen down and filled up cup full of water, gave it to the boy and wrapped his cloak around his sons shaking body.

Yuuen gulped down the water, then used the rest to clean out his mouth. He set his cup down and let out a sigh. Yuni sat next to his son and wrapped his arm around him, bringing him close to his warm body. They sat like that for a while, staring out at the lake.

Finally, after a while, Yuuen said,

"I'm sorry, father. I didn't want this to be a burden on you or anyone."

"How could you think you being sick would be a burden?"

"I'm already weak as it is...I can't hunt...I can't gather...what good am I?"

"Yuuen, don't talk like that. So you can't hunt. We now have plenty of hunters. One less isn't going to make much of a difference. So why should it matter?"

"It matters to me...I'm nothing. I'm useless to this tribe and the tribe of our allies...I can't do anything without screwing up."

"My son, where is all this stemming from? You've never seemed this depressed before. Yuuen...talk to your father. What's bothering you?"

Yuuen said nothing, but relaxed against his fathers chest, tears perking at the corner of his eyes. Yuni sighed and kissed his sons head. He then picked him up and helped him back to the village, laying him back in the tent. Once he left, he sighed and covered his tear jerked eyes...

*That night*

"Emba, come see me for a moment...we must talk."

The hunter looked at his sister, slightly confused, but walked into the chief's conjoining tent. He was slightly put off when he saw Yuuli glaring at him, eyes full of anger. Salem looked at the man and told him to calm down, though it was a lost cause. Yuuli shot towards Emba and knocked him down on the dirt, hands around his throat. Of course, Emba made no move to pry him off. Yuni did just that and said,

"Yuuli, that is enough! This was not Emba's doing!"

Yuuli stood, shaking but loudly yelled.

"That is a lie! He injured my brothers heart and his spirit time and time again. I will not let it happen once more!"

At the mention of Yuuen, Emba quickly got to his knees infront of them, heard bowed. Something happened with his lover today...and from the sounds of things, it wasn't all that good.

Salem set his hand on his sons head, saying,

"Yuuen is very sick, my son. And sick enough to be drowning in a sea of fast flooding depression. He won't eat...he hardly sleeps, as you tell us. Yuni has told me that Yuuen is blaming himself for things that have not happened to the tribes. He sees himself a nothing, a weakling who has no purpose. We...no...Yuni and Yuuli are terrified as to what could happen if this depression goes on. Yuuen might cause harm to himself."

Emba's eyes widened at the thought of Yuuen trying to cause physical harm to himself due to lack of...whatever he felt he was lacking. Quickly, he got to his feet and left without another word, much to Yuuli's anger. But Yuni stopped him, saying,

"Let them talk first...if anyone can get Yuuen to explain his feelings further...it has to be his lover. Trust him. Maybe something will come up."

Yuuli opened his mouth, then closed it again...his father was right. Though Yuuen was his younger brother, even he couldn't get him to talk to him about his feelings. So if anything, Emba was their last hope.

Emba walked into the tent and saw the boy curled up in the bedding, fur blankets pushed away. And he ws shivering. Sighing, the man grabbed the 3 blankets and wrapped them around the boy, who quickly pushed them off. This confused Emba as he tried to put them back on, but again, Yuuen pushed them away.

Now, Emba was getting annoyed.

"What is the matter with you? If you don't cover up, you'll catch your death. And you're already sick. You need to stay warm if you won't sit by the fire. Now cover up."

Yuuen said nothing. Not even a motion of acknowledgment. Emba tried covering the boy with the blankets again...and again, Yuuen pushed them away. Now Emba was getting angry. Throwing the blankets to the side, he grabbed Yuuen's arm and yanked him around, forcing him to face his angry brown eyes. But just as Emba was about to snap at the boy for being stubborn, his eyes locked onto his lovers left arm.

It had been cut just below the shoulder, and blood was pouring down from the wound. But what was stunning about this cut was...it didn't look accidental. Oh no. It looked self done. Emba's worst fear had been confirmed, if only by a small wound.

Yuuen was now mutilating himself.

"What the hell were you thinking?"

Quickly, Emba ran out of the tent to get some cleaning supplies from his sister. Once he returned, he cleaned and bandaged the boys arm tightly so the bleeding would stop. Yuuen winced at the sting of the tree medicine, but given the emotional state Emba was in, he didn't think it mattered.

Once his arm was wrapped up, Emba slapped the boy across the face, sending him to the dirt.

"Yuuen, this has gone on long enough. I understand you are ill. I understand you are in a lot of pain, physical and mental. But causing harm to yourself is NOT the way to solve it. Now I demand to know why you are doing this to yourself. What happened? Talk to me!"

Yuuen said nothing at first, a little scared at his lovers high raised anger. No doubt people were staring at their tent because of the shouting, but he couldn't bring himself to care. He shut his eyes, tears flowing like a river down his cheeks, his hand clutching his wrapped up wound.

Emba wrapped his arms around the boys head, kissing his hair and rubbing his back. It nearly killed him to strike Yuuen like that but he had to make his point clear. They embraced like this for a few moments before he heard the boy weakly say,

"I'm sorry..."

"Shh, it's alright now. You'll be fine. Look, all you need is water and rest. This illness is making you crazy and you need to just stay away from tribal duties at the moment. I'll bring you some water and some food, but small portions like you want. After that...I want you to get some sleep. Will you do that? For me?"

When he felt Yuuen nod against his chest, he gave a small sigh of relief. Slowly, he layed the boy back on the beddings and covered him up, kissing his forehead before leaving the tent.

Right after he left the tent, Yuuen brought the blankets further up to his head, covering his mouth as he whispered,

"I'm sorry...you...deserve better..."

TBC...


	2. Chapter 2

Yeah, I know it's been a long time. So much senior shit's going down since we're graduating in a few months. GUH it sucks!

BUT, I decided to get some work down and here comes this chapter...which should be decent. Not sure if people know this story exists. Lol. But anyway, here it is.

* * *

><p>Yuuen tossed and turned in the bedding, panting horribly and scratching at his throat. He felt like his throat was constricting, pushing all his air away. Tears leaked from his face, sweat pouring from his pores.<p>

He felt something cold touch his forehead and his eyes shot open, his vision blurry. When he looked up, he saw Emba wiping his forehead with a cold wet cloth in a bowl. He noticed that the man looked at him with irritated eyes, most likely because he was woken up so suddenly by his lover's pained moaning.

Emba set the rag to the side and sighed, rubbing the blonds sweaty neck. Yuuen looked away, but was made to look at the man, who whispered,

"Yuuen, how do you feel?"

"I-it...my throat hurts and...I'm cold all the time. Everything hurts...my body is always...so numb..."

Emba stopped him by setting his lips on the boys forehead lightly, covering him back up in the warm fur. Yuuen felt a little better, since Emba was here. The man was always there for him when he needed him and it made Yuuen upset whenever he thought about..leaving.

Finally, Emba layed back down next to him, running his fingers through his blond hair tenderly. Yuuen felt his breath catch in his throat. It was almost painful for him to think about leaving. He almost contemplated not leaving, but he had to. Anything to be sure that his family and the tribes were better off. So when Emba finally went to sleep, Yuuen gently pried himself away from the man and weakly got to his feet. It took him a moment to catch his bearings but once he did, he quietly left the tent.

But he didn't get very far. Salem was sitting by the fire, poking at it slightly. He caught sight of Yuuen, whose eyes were wide in fear of being caught. The man smiled.

"Going somewhere?"

Yuuen rubbed his arm, unsure of what to say. He could lie. Lying would help a little.

"I...uh...I was...um..."

However, lying was never one of Yuuen's strong suits. Salem smiled still and patted the ground for the boy to sit next to him. Sighing, Yuuen sat down and shivered, rubbing his arms. Salem leaned over to hug him, wrapping his fur cloak around him.

"Yuuen, how are you feeling?"

"Horrible..."

"I can't say I'm surprised. Emba told us you were ill. And why you're out of your tent is beyond me. You should be resting."

Yuuen sighed sadly and rubbed his neck. The last thing he would do was tell his lovers father that he was thinking of leaving forever. Could he have spoken to Yuuen's own father? He couldn't tell.

He groaned and rubbed his head, knowing that the other chief could see he was in pain. He felt his hand on his forehead.

"You look horrible and your head feels like it's on fire. Yuuen, you need to go back to your tent and rest before Emba, or worse, your father or brother see you walking about."

"I know, I know...but I can't get comfortable...the fur's much too hot and everytime I push it away, Emba covers me back up. I'm hot and cold all at once...I don't know which feels worse."

"I know how it feels. Sickeness is never an enjoyable process. I can make an estimate of when you'll be better, but this seems much too advanced for an estimate...what were you doing out your tent, if I may ask?"

Yuuen blushed and shook his head, whispering loud enough for him to hear,

"I...just needed some air. It was too stuffy and hot..."

Salem hummed and went back to watching the fire. After a few moments, he stood and said,

"Come. Back in your tent. I need to wake Emba for his watch. Let's go."

Yuuen nodded and lightly swayed into his tent, seeing how his lover was already up and ready for his watch. He locked eyes with Yuuen who couldn't even look him in the eyes at the moment. Silently, he walked over and layed back down on the bedding, covering up to his waist in the pelts. He felt Emba's eyes burning on his back, but he avoided it and shut his eyes, pretending to be asleep, waiting for the two men to leave. He heard them discussing the watch, how Salem thought he heard noises in the bushes, but saw that it was only a few woodland animals.

After what seemed like forever, they left and Yuuen sat back up, rubbing his itchy head. He was tired, sweaty, and eager for the night to be over. It was obviouse he wasn't leaving tonight either. Groaning, he layed back down and shivered, curling himself in the blankets, staring at the side of the tent. His weak eyes grew weaker and when they finally shut, his mind knew that he wasn't asleep...he had passed out.

* * *

><p>That morning, while the women worked on the cooking and cleaning, Yuuen sat near the river again, staring out on the other end of the bank. It wasn't as cold as it was before, but even still. He sighed, running his hands through his hair. This was becoming a bit of a problem, him he considered. All week, he was trying to leave the village in order to get out of everyone's way. And evertime he tried, there was always something that stopped him, wheither it was his father, his brother, or his lover, it was starting to aggrivate him to no end. He needed to get out, but he needed the perfect moment to try again.<p>

He turned his head to see some of the hunters coming home from an early morning scout and Yuuen smiled meekly when he saw Yuuli showing off a tigers body, saying how he caught it himself. His wife looked estatic, hugging and kissing him. He had such a big smile on his face.

Yuuen's smile faded as a sudden surge of pain sparked through his already aching head and he groaned, looking away out to the lake, tilting his head, thinking for the first time in a while why all of a sudden he wanted to leave. Was it just because of his illness or the fact that he was a burden to the two villages? He'd always thought it was the latter, seeing as he couldn't hunt, gathering he could barley do. Maybe he wasn't good at anything.

Sighing again, he stood up and swayed back to the village, walking into his tent and sat on the bedding, knees to his chest and his thoughts were racing. In the dirt, he traced out his thoughts with his finger, narrowing down his reasons for leaving.

Possible reason 1.) His illness was making him crazy.

Possible reason 2.) He was worthless in everyway, unable to hunt, gather, anything.

Possible reason 3.) He wanted to know what it was like supplying for himself...

That last one caught Yuuen off gaurd as he stared at it. True, he was curious to know what it would be like living in the wild by himself. After all, what else could he do here that would get him into trouble. If he were living alone, there'd be no one to critisize him for his lack of skills. He shut his eyes, rubbing his neck and wiping away the dirt so no one could see his thoughts. Last thing he needed was to be questioned if he just left it in the dirt. Moaning to himself, he layed down in the bedding, rubbing his stomach, staring at the top of the tent, eyes wide with curiousity. Those same eyes shut in sleep. His headaches seemed to tire him out a lot latley. 

There was a loud commotion sometime during sunset and it woke Yuuen from his nap. Eyes snapping open and he sat up, not caring about how dizzy he was. Outside his tent, he saw people running around, as if running from something big. But he heard his father talking with someone, maybe Salem. Something about...a dangerous tribe coming their way. Yuuen's eyes widened. This was his chance!

Grabbing the sack he filled days before, he slung it over his back and crawled out from the tent to see the women and child packing up some of their belongings. He turned his head to see the hunters sharpening their weapons. He saw Yuuli and Emba looking over their spears, intent looks of kill on their faces. He had to leave now or else he'd never get another chance.

While the chiefs were discussing advanced attacks, Yuuen tiptoed past all of them, holding his breath so as not to let himself get caught. Almost to the trees, then he could run. He looked to be sure no one was looking, until he locked eyes with a small child, who was pointing him out, causing him to break out into a sudden run, stepping on sticks and twigs. His eyes burned. He was sure to get caught now...

He stopped by a near by tree, waiting for the people to be following him. He kept hearing that child saying something about seeing something run into the forest. Then he heard the mother tell the child to shush and that it was just an animal. Yuuen let out a loud sigh of relief. He didn't get caught...he was clear. Being certain he was in no position of discovery, he ran farther into the forest, not entirley sure where he was going. He heard the lakes waves getting closer, meaning he had to cross and he's be more into the clear.

Tripping over some rocks and fallen branches from time to time, he finally made it to the lake and he had to stop and take a breather, coughing violently in his hand. He had almost forgotten he was still ill. He shook his head. He had to keep going, otherwise he would get cold feet and turn back. Taking in a deep breath, he removed his sack and held it over his head so nothing would get wet as he swam across the cold lake, telling himself he could do this.

It seemed like forever until he got to the other end, plopping the dry sack on the grass. He got to his knees and turned to look behind him. He was plenty far enough so no one would catch him. Smiling weakly, coughing the next, he squeezed his hair to drain the lake water out and shivered. He itched his neck, pausing when he felt the necklace Emba had made for him a year ago. It was a small strand of rope, which held the flower Yuuen always felt tears for whenever he saw it. Yuuen sighed. This wasn't the time for second guessing himself. He wanted to do this, for whatever reasons he had. Struggling to stand, he picked up his sack and ran farther into the forest, not looking back, a look of sickly determination in his eyes.

* * *

><p>Back at the village, Chief's Yuni and Salem were counting out the damages done to their hunters. Such a waste of time. Here they thought it was a large army of rival tribesmen when it was only 4 weak thieves. Needless to say, they were all a little irritated. The only damage they could find was a small scratch on one of their men. The thieves were killed and their belongings were taken, sorted as the chief's saw fit.<p>

After 2 hours of pointless sorting, Yuni told everyone to retire to their tents for the night, that there was nothing to worry about. The women and children were thrilled, though also slightly aggrivated that there was no real threat. Yuuli's wife and their son hugged Yuuli before walking into their tent as the man walkedd up to father, along with Emba and a few others.

Yuni sighed.

"Unbelieveable. I almost felt the urge to just strip them of their weapons and let them go. I've never encountered such weaklings before."

"I know how you feel, old friend. Ugh..."

It was quiet for a while before Yuuli suddenly said to Emba,

"I'm surprised. Yuuen slept through the entire raid. He must've been really exhausted from his sickness."

Emba gave a sympothetic smile, which quickly faltered to a look of worry. Come to think of it, he hadn't seen Yuuen all day. Well, not since that morning. He should go check and see if he needed anything. Food, water, something. He stood and excused himself, walking over to their tent. When he crawled inside, it was empty. Stunned, he quickly got out from the tent and walked to where Yuuen usually was: at the end of the lake. No one was there.

Emba's heart started to race in panic. If Yuuen wasn't in their tent and he wasn't by the lake, where was he? He ran back to their tent and was suddenly aware that his cloak was gone, along with the heads to two back up spears. His sharpening rock was gone too.

No...there was no way he was...

Now he was worried. He ran from the tent to the chief's tent and was greeted with the shocked looks of his father, Yuni and Yuuli. They all saw the worried and horrified look on the mans face. Salem walked up to him and sat him down gently, asking what was wrong. Emba found it hard to form words. His mouth was so dry from gulping down nerves. He had never felt this worried in a long time and now, it was eating him alive.

Yuni asked him what was wrong and finally, Emba asked,

"Has anyone seen Yuuen today? Like at all today?"

The question stunned them all, but Yuni and Yuuli seemed to see passed the question. Their eyes widened and Yuni bolted from the tent, only to return moments later with a look of sheer terror on his face.

Yuuli stood and said,

"Father, what is it?"

"It's Yuuen...he's gone. Yuuen's run off."

TBC...


	3. Chapter 3

Needless to say, the entire village was horribly stunned that one of the chiefs sons had ran off on his own, which was just one possibilty. Word had gotten to everyone fast, and everyone had begun their murmuring on the same questions:

Why did Yuuen run away? Was he unhappy here? Was there a chance he was kidnapped by a hidden thief?

The villagers all had their questions, but their questions were no where nearly as suspicious as those of his father, his brother and his lover. It had been a mere 2 hours since word of Yuuens dissaperance took hold of everyones tongues. So far, no one had let up on their questioning.

In the chiefs tent, Salem had watched his dear friend pace frantacly back and forth, pipe in his mouth, though he wasn't smoking anything from it. It was just there to prevent Yuni from chewing on his gums in worry and in anger. He had been at this for a while and it was concerning everyone. But Salem had made no move to calm him down. It would take a miracle to calm his friend down. He had tried taking the pipe away from Yuni's shaking hand, but the man snapped it back, saying he needed it to distract him from the horrific realization that his youngest son had some how up and vanished.

Still, Salem could at least try.

"Yuni, please stop pacing. You'll only worry yourself more just thinking about it. Please calm down and relax."

Yuni, surpisingly, did stop pacing and turned to his friend, but Salem read his eyes. Perhaps that wasn't the best thing to say at a time like this. Yuni looked angrier than he had ever seen him.

"Don't tell me what to do...how would you feel if your youngest dissappeared from your home, no trace anywhere? You'd be feeling like me, that's for sure! So don't tell me to calm down in any way!"

Yuni gasped as he felt tears well up in his eyes and he quickly wiped them away, not wanting his old friend to see how affected he was by this. But Salem understood what he meant by all that. He stood up and walked over to Yuni, embracing him tightly, rubbing his head. It had been years since they held each other like this. It had also been years since Salem saw Yuni under this much stress...come to think of it, he doesn't ever recall seeing him this stressed out. Nonetheless, he embraced him and rubbed his back soothingly, letting him cry it out.

Yuni hated crying; He felt it was an unmanly thing to do. But he couldn't help it. A part of his life had just vanished from his sight and he still doesn't know what happened. Salem continued to soothe him, whispering in his ear.

"Yuni...it'll be ok. I promise you, it'll be ok."

It did nothing to stop Yuni's tears, but he felt comfort in his friends arms after so long. Oridanarilly, he would've killed anyone who would've seen him so weak...this was not one of those times...he actually felt helpless.

Sighing, he knew that crying was not going to bring Yuuen back. He straightened up and wiped his tears away, taking deep even breaths. When he calmed down enough to actually speak, he looked at Salem and said,

"Bring in our hunters. Not all of them, but a good sum of them. We're conducting a search party."

Salem nodded and walked out of the tent, only to return 5 minutes later with a few of the men, who bowed to their leaders. Yuni took in a deep inhale and said clearly,

"As of now, I am not sending you all on hunting trips for the time being. Your job now...is to search as far as you can for my son. I can trust you all with this task and I hope you will find him and bring him back. Is that understood? Leave no stone unturned."

All the men nodded and bowed once again, ready to be dismissed to head out. But before they could, Salem spoke up with a side note that made Yuni regret making this choice in the first place.

"I would also like you all to not tell Emba and Yuuli about your mission. No doubt they'll want to go with you and we need them for our large hunting trips, seeing as how they are the strongest...is that clear?"

Again, they bowed and nodded, leaving the tent to get ready for their search. After they left, Yuni groaned and sat near their fire, running his hands through hs hair. Salem sat next to him and asked,

"Something bothering you?"

"I just feel bad keeping this mission from our sons. You know good and well Yuuli will want to help in the search for his little brother."

"Yes, and no doubt Emba would drop anything to help search for the one who melted his heart. It was a choice you felt was best for them."

Yuni nodded, but sighed again in depression. He looked down at the fire and just stared into it, wondering if he really did make the right choice in keeping Emba and Yuuli out of the search party. Perhaps it was best. But still, he wasn't sure.

However, outside the back of the tent, Yuuli had crouched to hear the whole thing. And what he had heard stunned him. His father conducting a search party, but kept his own elder son out of it...it angered Yuuli. He had to help in finding his brother, no matter what. His only option was to sneak away, but he couldn't just leave his wife and child with no explanation. He sighed...he also knew if he were to sneak away, he'd have to allow Emba to come with him. Regardless of his somewhat hatred for the man, Emba was Yuuen's lover, and he was the only person Yuuen would open himself up to in an emotional sense. He had no choice.

Sighing, he stood and walked to his brothers tent, gulping down his pride and walked inside, though he was greeted with an interesting sight.

Emba was sitting on the fur mat, equipped with spears and other weapons, along with a sack of spear heads and a sharpener. He looked up at Yuuli and gave a small, sympothetic smile.

Yuuli couldn't help himself. He smiled back and said,

"I see we had the same idea."

"Yuuli...I-"

He inturruppted the man and said,

"Let me speak first. Emba, even though I don't exactly like you...I do share things with you. I'm married to your sister and you're in love with my brother...in a way, I suppose that makes us brothers. And I know we love Yuuen enough to do what we're thinking of doing. Our fathers want us kept out of the search party they sent out, but I refuse to sit by and allow my brother to wander in the woods by himself with nothing to live on. And I know you feel the same...so...should we put our differences aside to find him?"

Yuuli stuck out his arm for Emba to take, but the man made to move to grab it. Instead, he gently swatted it away and said,

"I never had any quarrels with you, Yuuli. I know you resented me because I always stole your game during hunting...but that was years ago. Our tribes are joined into one and we need to work together to survive. I have always thought of you as my brother and given the situation now...we need to learn to move passed all the hatred we have felt for each other. Is that clear?"

Yuuli, even though he was slightly shaken by Emba's menacing tone, smirked and nodded, lightly punching Emba's shoulder, earning a smile. Yuuli mentioned that they should leave when everyone's asleep, so as not to draw attention to themselves. Emba agreed and told Yuuli to pack his spears discretly, and if his sister asks, try to be as honest as you could make it sound. Yuuli agreed and left the tent, leaving Emba to lay outside the tent and just stare at the sky...the sun was starting to set and it made him think about all those times he and Yuuen would sit by the lake and watch the sunset, relaxed in each others embrace. There were even times they had made love by the lake behind the bushes so no one would see them.

The lake was always Yuuens favorite place since the tribes moved around for new locations. It was were he would go to sit, relax, think, daydream, anything. Emba would always relax with him after a long day of hunting. They would soak in the cool waters and just play around, something the man never thought he would do with anyone.

Yuuen had stolen his heart, something no one else had ever done before and he had almost lost him once. He loved the boy to a point where it hurt thinking of situations like the one they were in now...where Yuuen would just suddenly vanish from him. There were times Emba would, which were rare, think about if Yuuen had met someone else. Another man from a different tribe. The thought always made Emba's blood boil and would add in fantasies were he would break all the bones in the opposing mans body just for touching Yuuen's body in an unsettling way.

Sighing, Emba sat up and rubbed his neck, pushing those thoughts from his head. There was no way Yuuen would leave him for someone else that easily. There had to be some specific reason why the boy just suddenly left. He wasn't kidnapped, Yuuen wasn't that defenseless. He could hold his own in hand to hand combat if he really needed to.

Emba tried to think of all the possible reasons why Yuuen would suddenly just leave his home without a word. He was mostly going on the murmuring he heard from the villagers all day.

Yuuen seemed unhappy, but that could've been because he was sick. No one's really all that thrilled to be alive when they're sick as a dog. Could his illness have driven his mind with thoughts of leaving? Or was there another hidden reason.

Emba growled. This was getting him no where and his mind was starting to hurt from all the possibilities. All he knew was that Yuuen was gone and he would be damned if he didn't go and bring him back somehow. He finally stood on his feet and stared off into the forest. There were millions of different directions that Yuuen could've gone. By now, his tracks would probably have vanished from the wind.

Thinking about finding the boy was easy, to go about finding him was the hard part. North, South, East, West, Yuuen could have gone anywhere. His tracks were probably gone by now, they had no real idea of where to start looking. The forest stretched for miles before going into the darker desert area. But the desert was over 1000 miles away, maybe more on foot. There was no way Yuuen could go that far. Emba once again sighed, leveling out the obvious outcome.

No doubt that this was going to be tricky.

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><p>TBC.<p>

Preview for next chapter:

_Yuuen pushed through all the branches, running faster than his legs could carry him. But he knew if he really wanted to be out of the villagers sight, he'd have to run faster than usual. Why he was running, he didn't know. He knew he was in the clear just by crossing the large lake._

_***later***_

_As he stopped to take a bite of fruit he picked off a tree, he listened to the sounds of the forest. It almost sounded peaceful to be away from the noises of people. He sighed and bit into the fruit again, continuing to listen to the soft sounds of birds...it was only then his ears picked up something he thought he wouldn't hear for another few hundred miles._

_He heard music. And it sounded close._


	4. Chapter 4

I...absolutley...LOVE loaner laptops...you can tell I laced that with sarcasm. I hate this stupid thing. It's one of the many reasons my stories are not uploading like they should. BUT here is chapter four.

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><p>The sun had set on the second day of Yuuen's runaway. He hadn't figured that it would be much easier than he originally planned. He was always afraid of getting caught by the villagers. But somehow, the gods were in his favor. They allowed him to make his escape...<p>

Sighing, Yuuen stopped to lean against a tree, hand to his chest and trying to push whatever was in his throat out. His cough was really making him mad; he always had to stop every few minutes to cough up a lung. He was getting used to it, but at the same time, it urked him just a bit.

Soon after his coughing fit was over, he sighed, sliding down the tree to sit on the grass and stare up at the sky. It was nearly sunset once again and it made him smile. This was the first time he could sit up and just stare at the sky, nothing to bother him. Back home, when he would stare at the sky, it wasn't as peaceful. Too much noise to really enjoy the tranquil feel.

As he smiled, he layed down on his back on the grass, popping the bones in his sore spine. He ran his hands through his yellow hair and he shut his eyes, listening to the sound of the forest, something he had never really enjoyed before.

There was a gentle breeze blowing on his bare back, making him giggle.

"Wow...hard to believe I hesitated..."

Yuuen smiled bigger and let out a gentle sigh, taking the first real nap he had taken in a long time...he felt at peace, if only for a little while. Somehow, when he tried to sleep at home, it was so stuffy and aggrivating. But out in the woods, in the open air, it was calm and serene.

Yuuen slept for a good 5 hours that night and when he finally woke up, he felt so much more refreshed and relaxed...everything he couldn't feel for a long time. Smiling, the young man stood and stretched, hearing all his bones pop and he smiled wide.

Time to start his day once again.

Yuuen relieved himself really quick and once that was finished, he reached into his bag to grab a pear he took from the village days ago and ate it slowley. It was becoming clear he was running low on fruit since he binged on his first night out. He'd have to find more if he really wanted to prove that he can survive on his own.

He sighed. Clearly, he should've packed a lot more than just 8 pieces of fruit. 4 of them were already gone from yesterday's walk and for reasons Yuuen couldn't grasp, he wasn't getting full. The fruit wasn't enough to sustain him, but he had to make it last until he found more.

He quickly looked around, seeing if any of the trees held any kind of fruit. Sadly, they didn't. Just leaves. Yuuen growled a bit, taking another large bite out of his pear, the juice running down his chin. He wiped the juice off with the back of his hand and quickly finished the rest of the pear, stood to grab his sack and turned to continue his way.

The grass felt wonderful under his feet, like a cool foot rub to compliment his long journey. He smiled and looked up at the sky while he walked, seeing some crows fly overhead. His eyes grew in wonder. Why haden't he been this observant when he was at his home village? Maybe because he was always so busy trying to catch up with everyone else, he neglected to just sit and enjoy the sky, the sun, the wonders that Mother Earth had given him.

The thought made him smile as he walked, only to suddenly fall forward on his face, his sack landing on his back. Groaning, he sat up to see that the culprit was a large rock, one he had just tripped over. He checked his foot and saw only a scratch, not bleeding.

"Guh, this is probably why I can't do anything right...I'm such a clutz."

Yuuen reached into his sack to pull out a small cloth and gently dabbed the scratch. As he did so, he looked around the forest, noticing how quiet it was. He found he enjoyed the quiet, well, added in with sounds of the birds and the gentle breeze.

However, in the back of his mind, he almost was wishing for some sounds unlike animal sounds. He almost missed the sound of his family, his-

Yuuen quickly shook his head. No way he was going to think about it now. He left for a reason and he wasn't going to give up so easily. Sighing, he set the cloth in his sack, stood and walked away from the rock, itching his neck. Bugs were flying around everywhere and they kept going after Yuuen's neck. He kept swatting them away...only to realize that if there were bugs, then there must be water close by, a spring perhaps. The only larger body of water close to where he was was the lake he cut across.

Suddenly, Yuuen started to panic. He knew no one was allowed to cross that lake for any reason. What if his father had sent a search party and they just so happened to cross the lake?

Much more panic set in as Yuuen broke out into a fast run, ignoring the pain in his lungs. There was no way he'd allow them to find him, not when he was so far into his journey. Bugs flew past his frame as his legs ran faster, but they throbbed in pain after a few short miles. Nevertheless, he was going to get away.

Yuuen pushed through all the branches in his way, running faster than his legs could carry him. He wasn't really sure how long he had been running for anyway. But he knew if he really wanted to be out of the villagers sight, he'd have to run faster than usual. Why he was running, he didn't know. He knew he was in the clear just by crossing the large lake.

He ran faster and faster until he came to a complete stop...well, he slipped on some wet grass and skidded to a halt. He hissed, feeling his arm throb like his legs. Quickly, he sat up and looked at his arm, which had a large scrape running down to a stop at his elbow. It didn't hurt so much anymore now that he had stopped moving, though it did throb just a bit.

Not so much as his legs however. Those felt like they were screaming at Yuuen for running so hard. But that didn't matter at the moment. Yuuen was in awe about where he was.

He had halted in front of a large spring with a massive waterfall crashing down. All around him were bushes and trees, holding fruit like he had never seen before. The grass was a lush green, soft and wet from the water spray. Yuuen smiled. He had hit the mother load.

Slowley, he crawled over to the bushes first and began picking some berries off the twigs, setting them in his sack. Whithen moments, it was half full of just berries, red and blue. When his legs stopped throbbing, he climbed up one of the trees to grab some pears and apples. He would be feasting well now.

After an hour of picking fruits, he jumped down from the trees and walked over to a rock near the spring. Smiling as he walked, he felt spray of the waterfall tickle his bare legs. This place was magical...

Once he came to the rock, he sat down and took in the sights, the sounds, the feel. This was just a beautiful piece of nature that Mother Earth took great care in making. He fidgeted on the rock for a few moments, pulling his sack onto his lap and giggled to himself. Oh how the tribes faces would look if they saw what he saw. Sighing, he reached into his bag to full out some food.

As he stopped fidgeting long enough to take a bite of fruit he picked off the tree, he listened to the sounds of the forest. It almost sounded peaceful to be away from the noises of people. He sighed and bit into the fruit again, continuing to listen to the soft sounds of birds...it was only then his ears picked up something he thought he wouldn't hear for another few hundred miles.

He heard music. And it sounded close.

The apple fell from his hands as he listened carefully to where it was coming from...people. There were people near by. Finding his wet feet, he grabbed his bag and ran towards the noise, where ever it was coming from.

It didn't take Yuuen very long to know he was close when he not only heard music, but he smelt the familier smell of meat being cooked. That was when Yuuen froze. What if these people were savages? What if they killed him when they saw him? Would they allow him to live if he explained his situation?

Ohhhh all this thinking was getting him no where. Instead of running, he slowley walked through the bushes, avoiding twigs of any kind. That's when the smell and the noise grew more and more defined. He pushed a large branch out of the way and saw what he was hearing.

There was a large fire with what looked like bits of a mountain tiger cooking. There was music, cheerful music, upbeat and livley. And dancing. People were dancing and playing games. Everyone looked to be having such a fun time.

"Well, they don't look to be savages..." Yuuen whispered to himself. He gently set a foot forward...and cracked a twig with a loud snap.

Withen seconds, everything was quiet and all eyes were on him. Yuuen's face went from his color to a sickly pale instantly and his body was shaking madly. He was caught...they were going to kill him...

Footsteps were heard. Yuuen's eyes squeezed shut. He felt his head being pulled up gently and he opened one eye. He went from pale to brick red in an instant.

The man staring down at him...looked like Emba. The only difference being his hair was a bright brown and his eyes looked blue. Dark blue. He smiled and turned to the others.

"It's alright, everyone. He's just a wanderer. He's no threat."

Everyone let out a loud sigh of relief and the music was playing once again, dancing and laughing. Yuuen felt like passing out. What a relief that he wasn't going to be killed after all the trouble in finding a spring...wait...did that spring area belong to these people? Had he just stolen fruit from another village? Yuuen lifted his head to ask, but the man lead him into the tribal area and into a tent. Once inside, he walked in to grab a fur blanket and gently wrapped it around Yuuen's shoulders. Shoulders that Yuuen didn't know were shaking. Finally, after minutes of agonizing silence, the man sat the boy down and stared into his eyes.

"Who are you?"

Yuuen made no move to speak up. His eyes were fixed on the mans face...it looked strong, yet gentle. Just like Emba.

The boy shook his head again. Now was not the time to be missing the man he ran away from. Gulping loudly, he stuttered,

"Y-Yuuen..sir. My name is Yuuen."

"Hmm. Nice name. Alright, Yuuen. What are you doing here? You look awfully young to be traveling alone."

"Oh...well, see I left my tribe for...personal reasons..."

The man tilted his head, his brown hair falling in front of his face. Yuuen looked up at him, then lowered his head, staring at the ground. He felt the mans hand touch his cheek and he saw him smile, saying,

"I understand. Believe it or not, most of my people are born from those who escaped their tribes for reasons of their own. Welcome, Yuuen. I am the tribes chief, Uto."

Yuuen tilted his head at the mans gentle tone and touch. Uto...a chief leader. He reminded Yuuen of his father, just younger perhaps. Yuuen smiled and bowed.

"Forgive me for intruding on your...tribes party. The music drove me here."

"Haha, pay no heed to it. You weren't intruding. We just haven't had people stumble into our village for years, so it was quite a shock. But none of that for now. You must be exhuasted from traveling. You can sleep in my bedding tonight."

Yuuen's eyes widened.

"Ch-chief Uto...I...don't think I should take your bed. I mean, you're chief and I'm just-"

"A young man in need of sleep and I'm sure a full belly. Sleep here and tomorrow morning, a large breakfast will be served. Is that clear?"

Again, Yuuen's eyes were wide. But he eventually nodded, which made Uto smile and lead him to his bedding, layed him down on the fur and covered him up with a large pelt. Though Yuuen had only been gone three days from his home, this seemed to be a better substitute than sleeping on grass. The boy smiled, thanking Uto for his kindness. Uto smiled back.

"Yuuen, you just worry about regaining your strength. I'll show you around tomorrow and you can tell me where you came from. Sleep well, young traveler."

With that, Uto left his tent, leaving Yuuen in darkness. The boy's smile softnened. Ok, this wasn't what he had in mind when he ran away. He wanted to try and fend for himself...but since he was here, he could stock up on more food and supplies, provided Uto understood his situation. Yuuen yawned and closed his eyes, drifitng into slumber.

He could tell Uto his issue tomorrow. All he could really focus on was the comfortable bedding he was laying on, the warm pelt covering his shaking form, the muffled music from outside, and the man who was gracious enough to give up his own bed for a boy he had only just met.


	5. Chapter 5

Oh...my...god. How long has it been? Lol. Well, with no longer being a High School student, the summer bordem takes it's toll.

Anyway, here's chapter 5! Sorry it took so long! *bows repeatedly*

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><p>He wasn't sure what time it was. All he knew was, the sun was so bright that it shone through the material of the tent and right onto Yuuen's face, as if forcing him awake. He groaned and threw the fur blanket over his body, blocking out the suns annoying rays.<p>

But if the rays were annoying, then the footsteps in the tent were even more annoying. The boy groaned and turned over on his side, but the footsteps were growing more and more irritating to Yuuens sensitive ears. Sighing, he rubbed his eyes and sat up, trying to avoid the sun that was shining through a hole in the tent. He yawned and stretched his arms, feeling the bones pop so suddenly.

Once he was wide awake, he looked around, already aware this wasn't his own tent back home. This was the tent of Chief Uto, the man who allowed him to sleep in his bedding even though they had only just met. But even so, he seemed very nice, which was good for Yuuen. He smiled and got to his feet, popping his neck a few times before stepping outside.

Birds were chirping, the air felt soft on his skin. The women were in the center of the fireplace, stewing what looked to be meat and fruits. It made Yuuen's stomach growl silently, but it did not go unnoticed by the woman with blond hair, who smiled at him.

"Good morning, weary guest. Did you sleep well?"

Yuuen blushed and nodded, making his way towards the woman and sat down, watching them cook. How odd was it that they all reminded him of his sister in law back home...smiling as she cooked with the other women, preparing medicines for those who needed the help. He shook his head again. The first rule of his journey was to never think of the life and the home he left behind. There was always that one slim chance he would chicken out on his way and return home...he couldn't do that.

So he just sat there and listened to these women talk about the night before, no doubt the party he walked in on. They were giggling like little girls, when Yuuen figured they were in the ages of wise people...to try and keep it civil. It was also when Yuuen realized the village seemed...empty. Children were playing around the trees while women were sitting around working.

He suddenly heard them all saying something about the men returning from their hunt at sunset. Well, one question was answered, but another remained.

"Um...e-excuse me, miss?"

She turned her head, eyes furrowed with a small smile, giving him her full attention.

"Where's...um...Uto?"

"Chief Uto is at the springs. He goes there every morning to conduct prayer and blessing."

Yuuen thanked them, then quickly got up to head to the springs, which was probably that heavenly place he found just before stumbling into their party. Already sure of where it was, he walked more west, through the trees and was immediately hit with the sound of water and bugs. That and his foot connected with wet green grass. He smiled, knowing he would never get tired of that feeling.

Looking around, he saw Uto by the waterfall, praying in front of the streaming water. The water sprayed on his skin, giving it a beautiful glow and Yuuen suddenly found himself blushing, then shaking his head. Rule two of his journey was not to fall in love with anyone else. It could lead to problems he probably couldn't handle. Taking in a deep breath, he walked up behind the man, not saying a word. The man looked deep into his prayer, eyes closed in peace. Yuuen could see his hair was a little damp with moisture. Uto's muscles were glowing, from his neck down his back. Yuuen gulped, this is not what he came out here for.

Finally, he sighed and cleared his throat. Uto's eyes snapped open and he turned, only to smile at the boys face.

"Yuuen, how odd to see you out here. Did you sleep well?"

"I did...thank you...listen, Uto...thank you for letting me sleep here, but I think I need to get going. I feel I caused a burden in your party last night and-"

"Oh shush now. You caused no burden. We were just surprised to see someone out so late. And as far as leaving goes, you're not going anywhere."

Yuuen's eyes suddenly widened at Uto's comment. Not going anywhere? What...what does that mean?

"You can stay for a few more days. Just until you feel ready to leave. You look like you need more than just one days rest. You can stay at my village, feast with us, and enjoy yourself. Then, if you feel you must leave, we'll leave you with a few things for your journey."

Yuuen looked up at the chief, eyes still wide. Ok, so it wasn't him being held captive...thank the gods. Just a place to take it easy for a while. But he still wasn't so sure about all this. He left to try and fend for himself. Not to fall back under a pampered village. He sighed...this isn't what he wanted.

Uto sensed his uncertainty and smiled. He gently set his hand on the boys soft face and tilted his head up, making Yuuen look into those deep eyes and suddenly, the boy felt his face flush madly. Uto's smile softened and he ran his fingers across Yuuen's cheek, earning a shudder.

"Yuuen, relax. You have nothing to be nervous or scared about. We are not savages as you seem to think."

"No...it's not that. It's just...this wasn't my plan. I feel like a failed somehow and I barley even started."

Uto tilted his head, his brown hair covering his right eye as he stared at Yuuen with such a worried look. And it was then he quickly realized something about the young man in front of him. He looked too...well kept together to be from an average village. It was also very rare that Uto saw a runaway with such beautiful golden hair and deep dark eyes. And if that didn't convince him that Yuuen was a rarity, it was the piece of material around his neck. He was wearing a symbol of leadership, or something similar.

Uto's mind suddenly came to a conclusion. Yuuen wasn't just a depressed runaway. He was an heir, or at least a chiefs son. Why on earth would the son of a chief want to runaway from all he had?

Yuuen didn't notice Uto staring at him in a weird way. He was too busy trying to stutter out excuses to leave before he got too attached. But when he felt the mans hand gently touch his neck, he froze on the spot. He wasn't expecting such a gentle touch. But he felt Uto's fingers touch his neck piece and he suddenly started shaking. Of all the things he forgot to leave behind...it had to be that.

"A chief' son runaway...that's new."

"Don't touch it...please..."

Yuuen gently swatted the mans hand away and quickly reached behind to remove it, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Somehow, his family pride was keeping him from renouncing his identity. And when he felt Uto gently massage his cheek, he looked up to see a smile on his face. Uto's hands took Yuuen's trembling ones and kissed his knuckles, saying,

"There's no need to remove it if you feel you can't. Yuuen, you only just left your home behind. And leaving a part of you behind is a lot harder than leaving the location. I'm not sure what your reasons were, but you don't need to rush. Take your time to gain your own personal identity."

"Uto, why are you so kind to me? You don't know me. Fo-for all you know, I could be a savage myself...I...I could kill you in your sleep and...possibly steal from you or-"

Yuuen was suddenly stopped when the worst possible situation happened. It was one of the situations he wanted to avoid.

Uto had placed his lips on the boys quickly, earning a shocked gasp from Yuuen. He was frozen...unsure of what to do. The kiss was only a few seconds long. When Uto pulled away, he smiled and poked Yuuen in the forehead.

"Yuuen, for the last time. Calm yourself. You're stressing over little things. See, this is why I said you shouldn't leave us just yet. If you go out on your own with this kind of pressure, you'll only make things worse for yourself and possibly get yourself killed."

The boy sighed. He knew all too well that Uto was indeed correct. Yuuen had been under an enormous amount of stress since he ran away. But it mostly worries that someone from the village would find him and force him back. Maybe Uto's tribe was different. Perhaps they could protect him. And it wasn't so much the tribesmen from his home he was worried about. It was his brother and his lover.

By now, Yuuli and Emba were worried sick about his disappearance. They might even be part of a search party that Yuuen's father organized. The boy groaned. If either of them found him, not only would they force him back home, but he would be under constant watch by both of them, everyday until they figured he was mentally able to be on his own.

He didn't want to make them worry, he just wanted them to be burden free.

The boy gave a small sigh and nodded, giving Uto the knowledge that Yuuen understood and he smiled.

"Wonderful. And trust me, Yuuen. We won't force you to stay. I'm only making the suggestion that you should stay for a little while. You can leave when you desire-"

"No...no you're right. I feel stressed over things I probably shouldn't be stressed over...I'll stay, but only for a few days. Just so I can actually rationalize my plans, maybe take a breather. It's only been a few days since I left, yet I feel really tired and wiped out."

Yuuen looked up and smiled at the man.

"Thank you, Uto. And again, I'm sorry for imposing."

"Oh enough of that. You're not imposing on anything. In fact, I have a feeling that after a few days with us, you'll feel much better. Not only physically, but mentally as well."

The boys smile wavered a little. Mental? What was that supposed to mean?

Uto just chuckled and set his hand on Yuuen's shoulder, saying with a gentle tone,

"Don't think I didn't see it in your eyes when you walked up to me this morning. I could see you're hurting from something in your mind. My only guess it's what's been on your mind for a while. Which leads me to my next question and it has been burning on my tongue a while today. Why did you leave your home?"

Yuuen let out an inaudible gasp and blushed, turning his head away. While he didn't exactly know Uto, he did feel comfortable around the strange man. Hell, he even admitted it was a good idea to spend a few days in his village until he was good and ready to leave. But allowing him the understanding of why he ran away was far from his comfort zone. He fidgeted a little, much to Uto's concern.

The boy still seemed nervous, even after he offered him a stay in the village with all it had to offer. The blush on Yuuen's cheeks sent one message. His fidgeting sent another. As did his eyes and how they clouded over in fear.

Uto came to at least three conclusions.

A.) The blush= perhaps there was something in his home village, or someone, that was causing him great distraction and he just up and left, wanting to forget.

B.) The fidgeting= Perhaps he was in one of those moments where all young men feel...their most vulnerable. But that seemed less likely, since that was no reason to run away from home...then again, neither did reason A.

Then, there was C.) His fear stricken eyes= Was he being mistreated? His body showed no signs of being abused. Maybe he was being verbally abused to a point of madness. Was he afraid that...that they would come after him? Force him back to a life he no longer wanted? Then once they forced him back, they would scream at him, maybe even abuse him. Maybe even...

Uto shook his head. There was no way a tribe could be that cruel, especially to a chief's son.

Forgetting words, he took Yuuen in his arms, holding him tight and rubbing his hair lightly.

"Whatever they did, don't worry. We won't let them take you back."

Yuuen was shocked. More so since Uto said what he said. He didn't know exactly what Uto had thought of to lead to such a statement, but either way, it was comforting. He got the following out it:

That even though he knew Yuuen would leave to continue his journey of self reliance, Uto would protect him until then.

The boy raised his arms and hugged the man back, knowing that this was a slight speed bump in an otherwise rocky journey, but he supposed breaking his rules just once wouldn't hurt. He felt Uto kiss his head and say,

"Well, let's head back. It's cold standing out in the open air with water spraying on your back."

They both chuckled and made their way back to the tribe. Just in time too...the women had prepared such a large feast that even Yuuen felt like he hadn't eaten in weeks.

He sat down and took his share, eating while conversing with the other members of Uto's tribe.

Maybe this stay wouldn't be so bad after all. And after all, it was only for a few days. What could happen in a few days?

_TBC_

* * *

><p><em>Preview for the next chapter<br>_

_The music, the laughter, the fun, he couldn't get enough. It was as if he was floating on a cloud.  
><em>

_If that wasn't enough to keep his body in a zone of absolute joy, the kiss to his neck did wonders already.  
><em>


	6. Chapter 6

7 days...7 days went by and still no sign of Yuuen. The hunters searched everywhere their senses told them to look and still nothing.

The women were growing concerned. It was so unlike Yuuen to just run away. His whole life was here. His family, his lover, his friends. Why the sudden urge to run away...many of the women even started to gossip about it. About how Yuuen was just ungrateful and decided to end it all by running away. Others disagreed, saying he ran because it was something his father, brother, or even Emba said to him, something that could have set him in a downward spiral into madness and finally left.

The gossips and rumors were annoying, even for a lot of people.

By now, Yuni was horribly anxious. Everyday, he would pace around his tent, pipe in his mouth to prevent jaw gnashing, his friend sitting below him, begging for him to calm down. But by the fourth day, Salem gave up telling Yuni to calm down. He knew it was no use. He could see how worried his friend was. Yuuen, being his youngest, was a probable big deal. If Yuuli had ran away, Yuni wouldn't be so worried. Yes, he'd send a search party, but he knew Yuuli could fend for himself. Yuuen, however, showed he couldn't do that.

Yuni stopped in his tracks, suddenly faced with the possibility his son could already be dead. He could be lying in a lake face down from drowning. He could've starved to death from not hunting.

So many possibilities...all leading to the same outcome...

Yuuen could be dead.

Gasping, Yuni felt tears run down his cheeks again, his hand pressed against his mouth to muffle his crying. Salem heard his friend gasp and quickly got to his feet, embracing him tightly, trying to tell him everything was going to be ok. But they both knew it was easier said then done.

Yuni looked up at his friend through his tear jerked eyes, trying to calm himself down.

"Why...why would he run away like this?"

"I don't know, Yuni. I honestly don't know. There must have been some deeper meaning to his leaving. I'm sorry, but I promise we'll do everything we can to find him."

"Salem...I don't think I've been this scared in so many years. I haven't been this scared since...since..."

"Since...you and I first met?"

Yuni's eyes widened, not even thinking about that. But now that it was mentioned, it did bring back memories. Yes, meeting Salem was frighting at first, even before they became friends and became intimate.

He shook his head and Salem went silent. He knew Yuni was going through a very hard time dealing with his son being missing. Sighing, he hugged Yuni to his chest, running his fingers through his hair. It comforted Yuni a little bit, but it only made him worry even more after a few seconds. He remembered when Yuuen was small and he would have night terrors, Yuni would take him in his arms, running his fingers through his short hair and somehow, it would instantly calm him down. Oh, Yuni missed those moments...

He gently pushed Salem away from him, walked out of his tent and stared at the tent that belonged to Yuuen and Emba. He saw the dark haired man just sitting in front of it, staring blankly at the fire, his mind wandering far from being watched. Yuni then turned his attention to the tent belonging to Yuuli and his wife. Yuuli was inside, playing with his son, but had such a distant look on his face. The older man sighed. Yuuen being gone was having such harsh effects on those two the most. He could see the lack of life in their eyes...a part of them had up and vanished with no trace. He couldn't blame them for feeling so empty. And while this had no effect on their skills as hunters, it did have an effect on their lives outside of it. Yuni could handle no more. He walked back inside his tent and sighed to himself. Tomorrow was another day.

Meanwhile, Emba stared at the fire, hypnotized by the sparks and crackles. For hours, he had been staring at it, trying to think of ways on finding his love. But it was hard...very hard. He and Yuuli had their own search party going for 6 nights and they always came up dry. It was as if Yuuen just vanished into the wind. There was no way he could've covered his tracks that fast. And if he did, well by the Gods as witnesses, that boy is fast on his feet.

But it just didn't seem likely. Yuuen was much too sick to even walk on his own, let alone run away from home. Was he faking being sick?

No. Yuuen was in fact sick. And to run away while he was sick enough to look like he was dying, well...Emba had no answer. He had run out of answers. He had even ran out of questions.

No questions...no answers. He was lost...He groaned and pressed his palms to his eyes, rubbing roughly. He thought he felt his eyes tear up, but he pushed it aside as his eyes tired from staring at the fire. He would not cry now. Crying was pointless in this situation. Crying would not bring his lover back.

But he couldn't deny that this entire problem had broken his heart.

"Damn you, you brat...how can you do this...how could you open me up like this then leave?"

"I'm sure that wasn't his motive."

Emba smiled without looking up and sighed, running his hands through his hair. He saw Yuuli sit next to him at the corner of his eye and he poked the fire with a stick, trying to find a way to avoid talking about Yuuen. Unfortunately, it was all they could talk about. And Yuuli was the one to bring it up. He sighed and said,

"I'm running out of ideas of where he could be..."

"Me too. We've searched everywhere we could. All that's left is that huge lake farther north from us..."

"...and no one can cross it. Not even our hunters. The currents are too strong."

Yuuli angrily threw the stick at the fire and snapped out,

"Damn him! Why did he leave us? Doesn't he know how important he is to us?"

Emba said nothing. As said before, he had no more answers. They had lost all trace of where they could look. There was no way Yuuen could've gotten across that river in his condition. He would've drowned before he made it.

Emba heard Yuuli rant on and on about how Yuuen was being a selfish brat and being ungrateful for putting his family through this pain...and as much as he hated to side with him, Emba had to agree that the man did have a point. Just the fact that Yuuen ran away like this without telling a soul, covering up his tracks like he was a skilled thief, leaving no trace of how to find him...it seemed pretty clear that the boy wanted nothing more to do with them. The question was why though. That was one question that ran though everyones heads and mouths. What made him want to leave so bad?

The dark haired man sighed...they had to give up. If Yuuen no longer wanted them in his life and if that was the reason he left...then what was the point of searching for him...

_'Because you love him. You love him and you don't want to lose him. Don't give up looking for him. Don't give up hoping. There is that chance he'll come home.'_

Yuuli suddenly stopped talking when he heard a gasp from beside him and what he saw made him gasp himself. Emba, though his face remained emotionless, had tears running down his cheeks. He was shaking and from what Yuuli could see, he was trying to keep it to himself.

He felt a hand touch his shoulder and he turned to look at Yuuli, who tried to smile, but couldn't.

"We'll find him. We'll bring him home."

Emba nodded and let out a sigh, quickly wiping his eyes. Crying made him feel weak, but in this moment, he felt better knowing he still loved the boy and that it wouldn't change. He turned to Yuuli saying they would start again in a few minutes, to which Yuuli grinned and jumped up, walking to his tent, leaving Emba with his thoughts. Back to staring at the fire, his dark eyes gleamed with the sudden thought of Yuuen hurt and alone. For all they knew, he could be lying in a river or a ditch, dead or drying. It tugged at his heart strings, but Emba had to remain strong. The thought of Yuuen alone and scared and hurt boiled his blood.

* * *

><p>However, alone and scared and hurt were the exact opposite of what Yuuen was feeling. In fact, he was feeling more alive then he had felt in a long time. Just being with Uto's tribe was making him feel crazy, in the good way.<p>

He had only been with them a few days and he already felt like he was comfortable. And he had learned so much in only 5 days.

Many of the hunters had taught him how to throw a spear properly, along with using a bow and arrow and hitting the target each and every time. They taught him how to freeze in one location in case a larger kill was near by so as not to scare it away.

The women of the village taught him how to make medicine from fresh fruit seeds and the juices. They taught him how to gather and how to tell ripe fruits from near dead ones, since a lot of them looked and felt the same near the springs. They taught him how to weave a perfect piece of fur into a blanket, that each kill went half and half, both meat and fur.

In a sense, Yuuen felt happy with all the stuff he learned. And they all saw him as a fast learner. A very fast learner.

Within moments of learning how to hit a target without miss, Yuuen shot over 6 arrows into 4 different kills. He had been told you won't kill on the first shot, but you still won't miss. All the hunters were astonished to see how good of an eye he had. Even Yuuen was impressed. All his life, he was horrible at hunting with a spear...now he was an expert at killing with a bow and arrow. He felt unnaturally proud of himself. Maybe now he wouldn't freeze in fear or in clueless behavior every time he needed to kill for food. His brother would be so proud of him...

Suddenly, Yuuen's face dropped at the thought of his older brother. He couldn't deny he missed him. He missed him a lot.

He started to wonder what they were all doing now. By the angle of the sun, the hunters were returning home to prepare their meals. Yuuen sighed...even though he ran away on his own will, he couldn't help but feel homesick.

A sudden pat on his shoulder made him jump and look up at Uto, who was smiling down at him. And it made Yuuen smile back, thoughts of home gone.

"I must say, you're getting better at everything we seem to teach you. Are you some kind of spirit?"

"Haha, no. I guess I'm just a really fast learner. And I kind of like wielding a bow and arrow. I don't feel as nervous as I do holding a spear."

"Is that right? Well, I'm glad then. It'll give you something to defend yourself with when you eventually do set out on your journey...Yuuen, come with me for a moment. I have something for you."

Yuuen lowered his bow and stared at the man walking away. Something for him? Interesting...sighing, the boy put down his bow and quickly followed Uto into his tent. When he walked inside, he noticed a bag in front of Uto's bedding. He mentioned for the boy to sit down and when he did, Uto sat in front of him and said,

"I know you said you were leaving soon, most likely tonight or possibly tomorrow from the rate you're moving. And I have to say, it's going to break my heart saying good bye to someone so skilled at what they do. Even though it's only been a few days, I feel like you've been here forever..."

Yuuen tilted his head, his hair falling in his face. He felt flattered by what the man said, even though he knew it would be short lived. And Uto smiled.

"That said, we have decided to throw you a fare well party, showing that even though you've only been with us nearly four days, it'll be hard to say goodbye. And, we'd also like you to have these."

Uto reached into the bag and pulled out, to Yuuen's surprise, a new loin cloth, new feet wrap, some arms wraps, all black fur in color. Yuuen was awestruck. It was rare he saw such beautiful black fur like this. He gently took them from Uto and looked them over while the man reached into the bag again, pulling out what looked like a necklace. The boy looked up and saw tiger claws hanging from a string. Now he was awestruck. They were supplying him with such wonderful gifts...but it would only continue as Uto also pulled out a newly carved bow and a container of over 50 well crafted arrows.

Yuuen was...amazed and intrigued. This was all so gracious. He didn't know if he could accept it all or not...

Uto saw the boys shocked stare and said,

"Yuuen, I want you to have these as a token of our generosity. We will not send you out into the wilderness unarmed...so, I give you our finest bow and arrow, crafted from the bones of a rare mountain lion. In addition, I give you these new drobes. We made these from a large black bears fur...I hope you enjoy their comfort...and now, as a gift from a chief to a dear friend, I give you the symbol of my leadership...my claws."

He pushed them all towards the boy and saw how excited he truly looked. Smiling, he stood and walked out of his tent to prepare his tribes farewell party. When he was gone, Yuuen was frozen on the spot. New cloth, new symbol of strong pride, a weapon he could actually use...it was all so overwhelming. He smiled big, grabbed the black loin cloth, knowing what he was going to do. What he had to do...what he wanted to do.

-that night-

Music played loud among the tribe, youth dancing around the fire. Many of the others were sitting around the blaze, clapping with the music, chatting and laughing. The hunters were all discussing their next hunt, all while watching everyone else seem to have fun.

Uto sat in front of his own tent, smoking a pipe and gave a gentle smile. This was he truly loved about this tribe. The sound of their laughter, the beauty of the nature they were provided. It was everything he could ever ask for. It made him happy to remember the moments of creating this tribe.

A tap to his shoulder awoke him from his thoughts and when he looked up, he couldn't help a seductive smile that graced his features.

"Well now, don't you look...well, traditional."

Yuuen smiled and rubbed the back of his neck. He thought he looked weird in new clothes like this, but after he stared down at himself, he looked like a prideful warrior. The black fur complimented his pale skin perfectly, giving him some kind of glow, especially the way Uto was looking at him. The claws around his neck gave him such a mood boost like he had hardly felt. He chuckled when he sat next to the chief and when he felt a soft hand touch his neck, he didn't tense up, he didn't shiver. His smile didn't waver.

Uto moved some of Yuuen's hair (or at least a strand of it, being he had it tied up), and stared at the claws that graced the boys collar bone. He looked so different, so much more alive and more prideful then when he first stumbled in by accident. The chief smiled and turned to watch the women and children dance around the fire.

Even Yuuen found the dancing to be exciting. He had never really seen this much joy and happiness in one tribe before. The only time parties like this took place back home was during a harvest or for a chief's marriage...he sighed and layed his head on his knees. It was hard to think about home. He would always wonder what people were saying about him, since he ran away. But now, he wasn't too concerned about it. Uto taught him this worrying about what you left behind isn't going to help you achieve your future purpose. And it did make sense. If Yuuen kept worrying and stressing about what his tribe was saying about him, or how worried they were, he would never fully function in his quest to be able to fend for himself.

The boy sighed again and stretched his arms, knowing it was all downhill from here. After tonight, he would leave this village behind and continue on his way, only this time, not blindly. He now had a weapon he could use, plus the knowledge of how to make arrows. He now knew how to pick the best fruits and make them into special medicines. He was ready.

The sudden sound of new music filled Yuuen's ears, dragging him from his thoughts and he rubbed his eyes, noticing how he kept staring at the fire, no blinking. Now his eyes stung and were watery, but he laughed. He didn't know why he was laughing about it, but he felt happy.

He felt a tap on his knee and came eye to eye with a young child, who in a way, resembled his very young nephew. But he smiled anyway and rubbed his head, making the child giggle. Then, his arm extended to show a white flower, something Yuuen wasn't expected to see. It was just a simple white flower, almost like a tulip. Yuuen smiled bigger, taking the flower and gently positioned it in his hair. The child smiled and hugged Yuuen's left leg and ran back to his tent.

Uto could only smile at the boy sitting next to him. He really was an interesting person. His family was truly missing out on Yuuen's success. Oh well...the chief stood and extended his arm to Yuuen, who looked up at him with a confused stare.

"Dance with me."

"Oh...uh...heh, no thanks. I don't dance."

"Oh come on now, Yuuen, it's not that hard. Just try to imitated what they're doing. It's easy."

Yuuen looked up at the arm, then looked at the people dancing around the fire. It seemed easy, it looked fun, but Yuuen wasn't much for dancing. He was always told dancing was for women. But the way they all moved, it did look captivating. Well, might as well take chances. Smiling, he took Uto's hand and followed him as he guided them towards the fire. Once in front of the vibrant flames, Uto twirled Yuuen for a moment, before immediately taking him in his arms. The twirling itself shocked Yuuen for a moment, but the sudden up close contact after was making him blush. He heard...and felt...Uto chuckle deeply and whisper,

"Just follow my lead. Like I said, it's easy."

Nodding, Yuuen allowed to be taken over by the chief, not to mention the amazing music and the light of the fire. It didn't seem too difficult. He actually was having fun.

Uto twirled him again before pressing his chest up against his back, moving his hand to untie the band in Yuuen's hair, letting it fall. Those shiny locks glistened in the light of the fire. It was almost a shame to let the boy go tomorrow.

Yuuen felt the mans hands through his hair, feeling his scalp, but he couldn't bring himself to care. He was too mesmerized by the feelings that he never seemed to feel before in his life. The music, the laughter, the fun, he couldn't get enough. It was as if he was floating on a cloud. A cloud that just kept going up and up.

His body like it was in a deep frenzy of unknown joy. He felt one with these people, he felt happier than he had felt in weeks. If that wasn't enough to keep his body in a zone of absolute joy, the kiss to his neck did wonders already.

He felt Uto's burning lips on the nape of his neck and while he should've pushed him away, he couldn't. It felt too good to pass up. Uto's hands trailing up his stomach and chest, touching any and all exposed skin. Somehow, it felt good to be touched so sensually. Yuuen usually only felt this way with Emba, who always without fail would make him feel so hot. Uto was seemingly doing the exact same thing. And before he could stop him, Uto spun him around and planted a soft kiss to his lips, hands running all over his hips.

And he loved it. He loved the feel of those hands on his skin. He loved those lips on his own. He kissed back, not even sure he really knew what he was doing. He felt Uto's hands grip him lower than his back and he couldn't help but let out a soft moan. He shouldn't be doing this. Doing these things with another man...wait...was he still even connected with Emba, even though he left. He tried to imagine his lover still worried about him, wanting him to come home...then another thought crossed his mind...what if Emba had found someone else. A woman perhaps...

Yuuen suddenly grew tense under Uto's embrace, tears threatening to fall. It was too hard to come to terms with the fact that when he left, he left everyone and everything behind...and that included Emba. Quickly calming himself down, he looked up at Uto, who gave him a look of sudden concern. He smiled up at him and hugged him, thanking him for everything he had done for them. Uto smiled and hugged him back, running his fingers through his hair

After such time, Uto took Yuuen's hands and lead him back to his tent, pushing him inside and sat him down on his bedding. And with a gentle kiss to his lips, Yuuen couldn't help but suddenly want more. He wrapped his arms around Uto's neck, pulling him down and move to undo his loin cloth. He had left everything behind when he went on this journey. It would be good to try and start again...

-next day-

That morning, Yuuen stood outside Uto's tent, bag draped around his shoulder and his bow and arrow with him. He started deeply into the direction of where he was going and sighed. This was it. Continuing on his way. He heard footsteps behind him and when he looked, he smiled when he saw the tribe, Uto up front. The chief stepped forward and took the boys hands in his, kissing his knuckles and said,

"It's going to be hard without you. I hope you find what you're looking for..."

"I will. I'm trying to find confidence in myself, along with self pride and self worth. No doubt I'll find it, but it will be tricky. That's why I left home. And that's why I want to thank you. You all have taught me so much...it'll be hard to leave, but I have to go on...Uto...could you do me a favor though?"

Uto smiled and kissed the top of Yuuen's head. He did recall last night, after they had such a night of passion, he whispered into a sleepy Yuuen's ear, 'Anything you need, I will find a way to provide.'

"Anything. What is it?"

Yuuen sighed and looked around, saying,

"I don't have doubts my father sent out parties to look for me. And as much as I know your tribe is far past the lake my people can't cross. there are two men I know who will break that law. If they come by asking for me or about me...I want you all to say you've never heard of me or seen me. I was never here...ok?"

Uto nodded, knowing this was very important to a royal runaway. He tucked Yuuen's hair behind his ear and kissed him again.

"Consider your identity forgotten, my friend. Now go. You have a journey to complete."

Yuuen smiled and hugged Uto tightly once more, quickly breaking apart and ran off away from them, running as fast as his legs could carry him. Uto and his tribe waved as he ran away, all sighing sadly. In only a few short days, that boy had etched his way into all their hearts...it was sad to see him go.

Sometime later that night, when the moon was full and the women were all clearing away the food, Uto sat and smoked his pipe, blowing the smoke into the night sky. Yuuen was long gone by now. Where exactly, he wouldn't know. But that boy was fast. He could be at the other end of the valley by now. The thought made him smile, that boy was truly a strong willed young man.

Footsteps suddenly reached Uto's ears and he whistled, signaling his hunters. He then stood and turned to face the new strangers and the sight that greeted him was quite...interesting.

It was two men, one with light brown hair, the other black in color. Both wore chief leadership necklaces, both with spears in their hands. Uto's hunters took into position, but the brown haired one dropped his and said,

"We mean no harm. We're just looking for someone. Can you help us?"

Uto's eyes and ears perked. There was no way...frowning, he stepped forward and said,

"I am chief of this tribe. Who are you and who is it you're looking for?"

The brown haired one sighed in relief and said,

"My name is Yuuli, and this is Emba. We both come from a conjoined tribe and we're looking for my little brother. His name is Yuuen and he's medium height, light golden hair. Have you seen him at all? Has he come by here?"

Uto's eyes widened. Well, these two must've been the men Yuuen was referring to when he left early this morning. How coincidental they showed up now. He sighed and had his hunters lower their spears, walked up to the two men and shook his head.

"I'm afraid not. No boy by that name or distinction has come by here. I'm sorry...you're search has to end here. You go into those woods unprepared and there's a chance you'll die, especially if all you have are those spears. It takes more than just spears to go through those trees. Is that clear?"

Yuuli gulped. He didn't like the way the chief had said that warning. He especially didn't like that look in his eye. Groaning, he turned and told Emba they had to head back before their fathers realize that they were gone. Emba gave a small note of defeat, but not before taking one last look over at the chief...Uto stared back at him with a glare, then turned around to walk to his own tent.

The look was brief, but Emba knew that look anywhere. That was a look of someone under an oath. All tribe chiefs had that look, only the one Uto gave was one of sudden guilt.

Emba groaned and quickly ran after Yuuli, somehow knowing that Uto was lying.

Yuuen had been there...but the chances of him still being there were slim. Oh well, he could come back tomorrow night and do some interrogating.

Meanwhile, Uto looked back at the spot and said to one of his hunters,

"Keep a watch team out at night. I think the taller one knows I was lying. Be sure they don't get passed here."

"Yes sir. I'll keep a watch team out when the sun sets. But if I may ask, why are we trying to keep them out?"

"I made Yuuen a promise that we would be certain no one would be after him. He has a journey to accomplish and if he doesn't want anyone to interfere, than I'll be damned if I break my promise..."

Uto looked ahead suddenly and sighed.

"I just hope Yuuen understands what he's gotten himself into. There are more dangers out that far that not a lot of people know about."

_TBC_

_Preview for next chapter  
><em>

_"I'm not going home! I gave up everything to become someone of worth! And if you want to kill me, then here I stand. At least I'll die with pride then die in fear..."  
><em>


	7. Chapter 7

"Let's see...by the amount of time I've drawn in the dirt...plus the amount of steps I've taken...hmmm how long have I been gone exactly?"

Yuuen sighed...it was no use. He couldn't remember how long it had been since he ran away from home. He supposed it had been more than a few weeks. Maybe even more than a few months. He couldn't tell. He made a rule to write how long he could remember...but for a while, it slipped his mind.

The boy stretched his arms and smiled to himself regardless. While he couldn't remember the exact amount of time that passed, he knew he had been gone for a long time. Let's see...he knew it had been 2 weeks since he left Uto's tribe, plus another 4 weeks since he made a safe haven for himself deeper into the forest. 6 weeks total there, but it seemed to be a lot longer.

He plopped onto the grassy plain and stared at the blue sky, watching the clouds go by bit by bit. His eyes seemed transfixed on the clouds...as they usually were nowadays. The grass always felt good on his skin; a perfect bedding in the day time. This was in fact his favorite time of day. Mid afternoon, when the clouds were still high in the sky. Sighing again, he rolled over and closed his eyes, imagining how his life had turned out in the last month or so. He seemed so much better at everything. His illness had faded away into small coughs...in truth, he completely forgot he was even ill. He seemed happier. He had grown at least 3 inches, but remained very thin. He didn't want to gain too much muscle, then he wouldn't be as stealthy as he had become.

Speaking of thin, his eyes opened when he felt his stomach start growling. This was around the time he would start preparing his supper. But as it stood, he was out of any game. All he had were fruits. Groaning, he got to his feet, grabbed his bow and arrow and slowly made his way through the trees, knowing where all the best kill was in this area. His feet barley even made a sound as he quickly hid behind a tree, arrow in place, his eyes furrowed to watch as a large mountain lion slowly came into view. Yuuen, in a snails pace, took aim at the lion's head. He froze...he didn't want to give himself away too early...then finally, after the lion had started to walk away, he fired his arrow...

STRIKE

"Yes! Got him!"

The lion collapsed suddenly and was dead within minutes. Yuuen ran up to the creature, removed the arrow and quickly pierced it into it's chest, only to be certain it was dead. Smiling, he put the arrow back into his pouch and dragged the dead animal by it's tail back to his haven. Once there, he quickly built a fire and began to skin his kill...once that was taken care of, he set the fur beside him and began to cook his meal. While it was being cooked though, Yuuen stared up at the sky some more, thinking about how much he had done in the last month. It almost seemed like a dream to him. He had imagined over and over what it would be like fending for himself like a lot of others do. Now that he knew, he was over excited.

The meat started to smell amazing at the moment and the boy figured enough time had passed for it to cook. It gently pried some off the body and threw it in his mouth, testing it's flavor. A blush came across his cheeks as he let out a loud sigh of joy and a huge smile plastered on his face.

"Mmmm I had almost forgotten what lion tasted like. Seems like I can cook so much better without burning anything."

Yuuen grinned to himself, chopping off another large piece of meat for him. He hummed a happy tune while he made up his dinner portions, planning on saving the rest for later. His usual dinner was a large piece of his kill, with some fruit and a small drink of water, or more if he was really thirsty. He had lost a lot of weight he didn't even know he had due to the small portions and the constant walking and hunting. His old band broke, so he made a new one for his hair, which grew a lot longer, enough to reach his mid back.

After he ate, he packed up the rest of his food in his sack and his bow and arrow case. Time to move on once again. His usual schedule was walk all day, stop to eat (hunt if he had no meat), walk again until the sun went down, then would camp out where ever he could. It was a life he had grown used to.

However, he couldn't deny it was a life that didn't come without regrets.

He knew the reason he left were all his own. He left to give his people a chance to go on without him and his worthlessness. He left to find himself, find his own way. But he couldn't help but think about his family constantly.

It had been well over a month or so since he ran away. No doubt the search for him was called off. Or maybe not, knowing his father. But Yuuen so far out of their reach, he knew he couldn't be found. Besides, even if they did find him, he was in much too deep. He couldn't go back. Never again. And he knew he would have to fight off anyone to tried to take him back...he would probably go as far as killing them...he prayed that it would never come to that.

Yuuen stopped in his tracks, his mind trailing to home. He could remember the sound of his brothers laugh after telling a good hunting story. He remembered his father's and Salem's words of wisdom throughout the tribe. He remembered his nephew, little Nava, who would always fight to get Yuuen's attention when his father was out hunting...he even remembered Emba's kisses just before they went to sleep, or before he left for watch. So strong, yet always gentle with him.

The boy shook his head quickly. Now was not the time for this. Now was not the time for memories like that...he was in too deep to be thinking about them.

Sighing, he continued his way down the path, his yellow hair covering his eyes from time to time.

"Ugh, I really need to cut my bangs. Can't even see where I'm going..."

He moved them out of his way and stopped when he heard a small stream of water near by. He smiled big, running towards the sound and soon came close to a spring. The water was clear and seemingly cold, but Yuuen didn't care. He was about to have what he craved in the last few weeks:

A bath.

Walking around a few times, he found a good, deep spot to clean himself off. He gently set down his supplies and began to remove his loin cloth. Then, he removed his foot and arm wraps, followed by the claws around his neck. He was naked, but somehow he didn't care. After all, he craved a clean body at the moment. He tied his hair into a tight bun and slowly sunk into the water. Cold yes, but it still felt amazing.

He let out a moan of content and sunk deeper into the water. It felt incredible to bath after a long time. He even felt like getting his hair wet, which he probably should do anyway. Sighing, he reached bag and undid the tie in his hair, letting it fall and float in the clear waters. Quickly, he drove under the stream and came up after a few minutes, rubbing his neck to relieve the goosebumps. Afterwards, he ran his fingers through his hair, rubbing his scalp roughly, then dove under again for at least 15 seconds before coming up again. It was only then he realized the sun was going down.

Sighing again, he got up out of the water and stretched his arms high in the air, feeling his bones pop loudly. After stepping foot on the grass, he quickly put his loin cloth back on, followed by his wraps, grabbed his supplies and walked further into the forest to find a place to sleep...the large patch of grass he saw ahead looked very promising. Plus, it was getting dark very quickly.

Yuuen yawned. It really did look promising, not to mention comfortable. He dug a small hole to put his supplies in and layed down, keeping his bow and arrow close to him.

All the while, however, he didn't realize he had been watched from the moment he took his bath to the minute he fell asleep.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, at the tribe, while the search party had been put on hold for a few days, it still was stressful to Yuni and his mental state. Only this time, under somewhat different circumstances.<p>

He backhanded Yuuli, which sent him to the dirt, before backhanding Emba, sending him the other way. By far, he was furious.

"What the hell were you two thinking?(!) Going off on your own without any kind of clearance from me or Salem!"

Yuuli got to his knees quickly, hiding his face. At the corner of his eye, he saw Emba do the same. While they were both sons of strong willed chief's, it didn't go without cost. Going off without the chief's knowledge was considered unfaithful to the tribe.

"Father, please understand. We were so worried about Yuuen that-"

"That what?(!) That you both would try to bring him back yourselves? There was a reason I left the both of you out of the search party because I knew you would take it too far! You already met with a tribe that could've easily killed you! Not to mention you broke my rule about crossing that lake!"

He tried to calm himself down, if only a little. He quickly told Emba to leave, to speak with his own father while things were taken care of here. In no position to disobey, Emba nodded and left. After he left, Yuni turned his attention back to his eldest and got on one knee, nearly shaking him while screaming,

"I already lost one of my children! Don't ever put me in the position of losing both of you! I couldn't bare that! Do you hear me?(!)"

"Father, why are you getting so angry? All Emba and I did was try to find Yuuen on our own. Yes, I know we broke your rule of crossing that forbidden lake, but it wasn't without cause and-"

"I'm angry because we still haven't found him and I'm angry at the thought of losing you just like I lost your mother!"

Then...it was silent. Yuuli's eyes were wide with shock at the sudden outburst. His mother? They hadn't talked about his mother in years. She had died days after giving birth to Yuuen, being she was very sick during labor.

Yuni quickly realized what he had said and sighed, backing away and sitting down, rubbing his temples. Yuuli crawled over and said,

"I won't die, father. You know I won't. I just want to help find him. He's my little brother and you gave me the responsibility of watching over him if he did anything reckless. This has gone beyond reckless. He's out there somewhere, most likely scared and alone."

"Although I know what you're saying and I know I'm just as worried, but try and give him some credit. Yuuen isn't totally helpless."

"I know that...I just want to bring him home. It's killing me not knowing where he is. And it's killing Emba just as bad, maybe even worse."

Yuni leaned his head back and let out a long, dragging sigh. His head was aching. He no longer felt the urge to cry, but now it was just giving him a headache. Yuuli patted his fathers knee and told him that no matter what happens, they were still family and that he loved him before leaving the tent, giving his father some time. When he walked out of the tent, he saw Emba leaving a separate one, rubbing his left cheek. Yuuli chuckled.

"I see my wife was just as aggressive as my father was."

Emba gave a small smirk. Yes, his sister was furious to hear that not only her husband, but her own brother went off and put themselves in danger like that. He quietly sat down in front of his own tent while Yuuli walked inside his. The only thing Emba heard was

"You bastard!"

before he started laughing to himself.

Then, he stopped laughing and went inside to lay down. It was long week and for the first time in a long time, he felt tired. He layed down in his bedding and ran his hand across the side Yuuen always slept on. He could just see it now: Yuuen just laying there, smiling at him and saying how lucky he was for being such a light sleeper. It was true. The slightest noise would wake Emba up. It was always like that, that was one of the reasons why he made such an amazing hunter. But when he would wake up, it was hard to fall back asleep. Back then, before meeting Yuuen's tribe, he would just go out and walk around before attempting to fall back asleep.

Now, every time he woke up suddenly, he wouldn't try anything to go back to sleep. Instead, he would watch Yuuen sleep. He would admire how peaceful he looked, curdled up in the blankets, his hair falling over his face. Every so often, he would run his hand gently across Yuuen's forehead, moving the hair away from his face.

He sighed and moved to sit up. Suddenly, he wasn't so tired anymore. Now, he was just horribly anxious...he felt like something bad was going to happen soon, he just wasn't sure what it was.

* * *

><p>The sun was shining right onto Yuuen's bare back, warming him up to full awareness. He was awake, but not ready to officially move around yet. He rubbed his eyes and stretched his arms, once again, feeling them pop.<p>

Then, his ears picked up on something behind him. A twig being snapped. Suddenly alert, he got to his feet, bow and arrow in hand and waited. Something was out there. He looked around, eyes furrowed to anything and everything around him.

"Whose out there? Show yourselves!"

So far, nothing. He was turning around every few seconds, to cover as much ground as he could.

Out of no where, his arm started to sting. He cringed and thought it was nothing. But when the stinging turned into pain, he looked and saw a large slice on his left arm, bleeding quickly. His eyes widened. When the hell did that happen?

A quiet swoosh through the air and suddenly, a small prick of pain went soaring through Yuuen's back. He let out a yelp, dropping his weapons and fell to his knees, looking around.

"Well, what do we have here?"

The boys head snapped to the left and saw 2 men come out of the bushes, dressing in what looked like leopard skin cloths. One of them grinned, while the other grimaced at the sight of the boy.

"A male? Ahhh when I saw it yesterday in the springs, I thought he was a she."

"Are you complaining? Either way, he looks delicious."

Yuuen started to panic. He couldn't move his arm...or anything for that matter. He heard footsteps behind up, then felt something pulled from his back. The man shoved it in his face, grinning from ear to ear.

"This is a high dose of tranquilizer made from the poison of snakes. It would be best not to move around so much. It won't kill you, just paralyze you for a few hours."

The two men started laughing while Yuuen's heart started racing. This wasn't good at all. He felt his body being hoisted up onto one of the mens shoulders while the other went snooping through Yuuen's bag. When he pulled out a necklace, both men chuckled.

"A chief's heir, huh? Little bit too far from home, are you? There's not a tribe for miles. What tribe are you from, kid?"

Yuuen growled and spit in the mans ear, causing the man to yell and drop him, trying to wipe out his ear. Yuuen spat out,

"Like I would tell vultures like you. What do you want with me?"

The man that was snooping through his bag quickly came up and kicked Yuuen in the face suddenly, saying with a scowl.

"Well, that's for you to know later, huh? A chief's son could come in handy. You look very...ripe, if you ask me."

He had set his hand on Yuuen's lower back, trailing down a little too low. And since Yuuen couldn't move, all he could do was lay there as the man touched him with his gross hands before tying his wrists and ankles together. He sat on Yuuen's back, whispering in his ear,

"This is no place for spoiled brats like you. What are you even doing out here?"

"I left home...what does it matter to you?"

"If that's the case, then we can surely send you back. I'll bet the chief will do anything ti have his son home. What tribe does this kid come from?"

"Not sure. By the looks of these, it looks like...guh, I don't know! Let's just take him to a bunch of different tribes and see who recognizes him."

Now Yuuen was starting to panic. If all they were going to do was paralyze him and send him home, then what was the point of all this stupidity? He growled and said,

"I'm not going home."

"Eh? What was that, brat?"

Yuuen's eyes furrowed in more anger than he had felt in a while.

"I said I'm not going home! I gave up everything to become someone of worth! And if you want to kill me, then here I stand. At least I'll die with pride then die in fear..."

The outburst did stun the men for a moment, but not long enough for them to grow quite agitated with their new catch. One of them walked behind Yuuen's paralyzed body, pull out a spear head and quickly stabbed his left shoulder. Yuuen defiantly wasn't expecting that. He let out a loud scream of shocking pain, feeling blood trail down his arm. The other man hoisted him up on his shoulders and said,

"With that attitude of yours, killing you would be a waste. Nah...we have much better plans for the likes of you, little boy. Grab his bag and weapon. I think I'm going to like this kid."

Pretty soon, they walked off with a screaming Yuuen on the mans shoulders, ordering him to let him go. His pleas fell on deaf ears as they continued on their way, more and more while Yuuen was now feeling fear. He said he wanted to die with pride if these men would kill him. Now it was starting to look like he might just die in fear. Damn his arrogance. Had he known something like this would happen, he never would've left Uto's camp...or even left home. No, he was strong and he would overcome this. Even if it took a long time, he'd find a way to do it.

After what seemed like hours, Yuuen awoke to find himself tied to a tree...he didn't even remember falling asleep. But now, he arms were tied above his head and his neck was wrapped with rope around the trunk. He tugged on his restraints, but with no avail. He growled, tugging harder, chaffing his wrists. A soft breeze made him shiver and his eyes widened with the realization that his loin cloth and his wraps were gone.

Those men undressed him and tied him to a tree? Savages...

Growling again, Yuuen relaxed against the tree, not allowing himself to panic now. Panicking would get him no where.

Footsteps were heard and Yuuen suddenly came face to face with one of his kidnappers. His breath smelt foul, like raw meat. Yuuen turned his head away, only for it to be yanked forward and a tongue ran across his cheek. He winced at the feeling. It felt slimy and gross. He heard the man chuckle in his ear and whisper,

"I feel rather good to have a pretty boy like you here. It'll give us plenty of relief from hunting and killing."

"Wh-what?"

The man smiled and smacked Yuuen's cheek, snapping his head to the side. His neck was already starting to chaff up because of the rope. Then, he felt his legs being hoisted up to his shoulders, gasping from the pain of his strained muscles and the awareness of what was going on. He felt the man lick his burning neck and say,

"Better get used to it now, little heir. You're going to be with us for a long time."

It was all Yuuen could process just before his entire body exploded in white hot pain.

_TBC_

_Preview for next chapter  
><em>

_A month of being on his own...two months of captivity and slavery...he couldn't fight it anymore.  
><em>

_Hot tears ran down Yuuen's cheeks. All he could think of was the life he left behind...all he wanted now was to go home.  
><em>


	8. Chapter 8

'It was a beautiful evening, the sun setting over the lake and the mountain like cliff. The soft rippling sounds of the water made the scene even more peaceful than need be.

Yuuen stretched and smiled, sinking his toes in the cool water, not a care in the world. Behind him, a soft fire from the tribe preparing for dinner. It felt warm and cold at the same time, but he felt wonderful. Somehow, he seemed happier than he had in a long time.

Soft footprints were heard and his name was said in such a gentle tone. When he turned, he smiled at the sight of his lover. And his lover smiled back.

"Yuuen, you've been sitting out here since we left. Are you ok?"

"Mmhm. I'm fine. Just enjoying the lake. Enjoying the tranquil feel."

Yuuen turned to stare at the water, noticing how the ripples were suddenly turning into waves. This was odd. The lake was never this rough, even in the winter. Yuuen tilted his head and it suddenly grew very cold. He shivered, rubbing his arms. Something was wrong...very wrong.

"You left us behind. You turned your back on your people. How could you be so selfish?"

Yuuen gasped and quickly turned, eyes widened when he saw his whole tribe engulfed in fire, Emba also standing there with a dark glare on his face. That was a face Yuuen was very afraid of. He got to his feet and ran to him, gripping his arms and tried to cry out,

"Emba, please! I did not turn my back on you. I left because-"

He was cut off when Emba smacked him across the face, making him gasp in pain and a frightened stare came upon his features. Never, in the year they had all been together, had Emba ever struck him like that. He gulped when the blaze behind Emba grew and the look on his face grew darker and angrier.

"You selfish child...you abandoned your tribe, you're family! I care not for your reasons! You made it clear we are nothing to you...so you are now nothing to us."

The blaze grew and it pushed Yuuen so far backwards that he fell into the lake...which seemed to suddenly engulf him, drowning him. He waved his arms around, trying to stay above the surface to breath. He screamed Emba's name, Yuuli's name, his father...and no one answered. He was drowning so far...he couldn't breath.

A splash of water on his face suddenly jerked him out of what he thought was reality. His eyes snapped open to see Uuka, the man in charge of his kidnapping, standing over him with what looked like a hand made pail of water.

"You were talking in your sleep again. I told you to shut your mouth when you're not awake."

Uuka walked away, leaving Yuuen shivering, naked, wet and freezing, still tied to the tree. He was asleep...that dream felt so real. Groaning, he slammed his head against the trunk of the tree and stared up at the sky. He could barley see the stars like he used to. They were in the deeper part of the forest, trees tall enough to block the sun. But then again, this was the third time they had moved to another location. This location was nice to a point, but the tree that Yuuen was tied to made him burn in the day when the sun was right on his skin and freezing in the night time since the wind was so rough. Every night, when the kidnappers would retire under a hollowed out tree for warmth, they would tie Yuuen even tighter to the tree, leaving him there until morning.

When they would wake up, they would see the young boy trying to curl himself into a ball for warmth, laughing at his discomfort.

It was around this time when Yuuen tried to count how long he was here. Weeks, as far as he knew. His mind was so weak. His body was tired. He was lacking food, water, natural warmth, and probably medical care. He would try to escape, but his moving around kept causing scratching and scars on his back from scrapping against the tree. No doubt his entire back was bloody and scarred.

A cawing made him gasp, eyes front suddenly. He knew that noise...it was time to move.

He watched as all the men gathered their tools (most of which they stole from him) and packed up. Uuka walked over to the tree and untied Yuuen from the large plant, only to tighten the rope around his neck, tie up his chaffed wrists and pull him along as they walked. Yuuen knew better than to fight back. The last time he tried to escape, they whipped him so hard he couldn't feel the back of his legs for weeks.

He was tired...so tired. He wasn't so sure how much more this would go on. He was certainly hoping that one day they would just leave him somewhere. That way, he could at least attempt to make an escape. It seemed unlikely.

"Hey, keep moving, brat!"

Uuka yanked onto the neck rope, making Yuuen gasped and move his legs faster. He heard the other men behind him laughing at him, talking about his...well, his back. How scarred it was, how bloody it was, how painful it must be to bare that look. Yuuen lowered his head, his blond hair covering his shameful face. He tried to set his mind to a happy place, but he was still scared. And besides, after than nightmare, he wasn't even sure he wanted to go to his happy place. He didn't even know if such a place existed.

They moved for hours, all day it seemed. The men had talked for hours about the next tribe to slaughter, animals to hunt, and relief to be deserved. All this while Yuuen was silent and sick to the pit of his stomach. "Relief" meaning raping him until there was nothing left of his dignity.

Phft, what dignity? He knew he was weak, he knew he was useless, yet he left the comfort of his home to make a name for himself, give himself something to be proud of. Yes, he could hunt for his own now, he felt so much better. But here he couldn't even fend off a few kidnappers. He felt even more pitiful then ever.

A month of fending for himself. He was perfect at that. He did so well, he took so many different precautions. A month of being on his own, it worked for him.

But now...an unknown amount of time with these men, only where he could assume was more than at least a month...he made an estimate of at least two. Two months of captivity and sexual slavery. It seemed he was finally at his limit. He couldn't fight how he felt anymore.

Hot tears ran down his dirty cheeks, blocked by his hair. All he could focus on was the thoughts of the life he left behind. His brother, his cocky grin after a good killing. His father, words of wisdom...and Emba...Yuuen tried to forget the dream he had where Emba had called him a selfish child and that he was nothing to the tribe...he thought of Emba's warm embrace and soft kisses to his neck and forehead at night before he went to sleep. He thought of how his love tried to take care of him when he was sick...

He knew what he wanted...it was what he wanted deep in his mind, but refused to admit it. He wanted to go home.

One of the men behind him looked at him and groaned, voicing ahead,

"Oi, Uuka. It's crying again. Make him shut up."

Uuka looked behind him and saw that the boys head was down, soft sniffling from behind his hair. And he stopped moving, with Yuuen not knowing and walking right into his back, looking up at him with a confused stare. When he came eye to eye with Uuka's pissed off stare, Yuuen suddenly grew more and more frightened as he remembered the rule Uuka had when they were traveling.

Yuuen (or as they called him 'it' or 'the toy') was not allowed to make any sounds unless it was a cough or a sneeze. Other sounds were grounds for punishment.

Uuka mentioned for the others to go on ahead and set up camp while he 'took care' of the boy. Yuuen heard them laughing as they ran ahead and quickly shut his eyes.

"What did I say would happen if you made a sound while we moved? Huh?!"

Yuuen kept his mouth shut as Uuka removed his loin cloth and untied the snake skin whip he had around his waist.

"You forgot the rules again, little boy. Chief's son or not, you're ours now. And each time you disobey, it'll only get worse and worse...on your knees."

Yuuen didn't make a move...

"I said on your knees!"

Uuka snapped the whip onto the boys knees, making him cry out and eventually fall to the dirt. He could feel blood pouring onto his knees and onto the dirt as Uuka raised the whip high, then brought it down straight on Yuuen's upper back. But he didn't make a sound. He knew for every cry he made, the beating would be worse. He had an iron grip on his bottom lip with his teeth, tightening as the whip crashed onto his upper back, shoulders and a bit on his waist.

Smirking with great pleasure, Uuka wrapped the whip around his waist and pushed Yuuen into the dirt, seeing how he held back a hiss when his open wounds connected with the ground and rocks.

"You should know by now that your attitude is unwelcome with us. You made the choice to leave a place that kept you safe and look where it's gotten you! You're nothing but a tool. You're own pride blinded you from staying where you should've stayed. You know how I know this?"

Yuuen opened his mouth, then quickly shut it and shook his head. Uuka sighed and said,

"You remind me of my brother. He left our family years ago, thinking that he could bring our tribe great pride and respect by going off on his own...we found his body near the oceans, mauled by hunters.. We tried to talk him out of leaving and when he didn't listen, he ended up getting himself killed. And I hated him for that, for being so stupid and idiotic..."

The boy said nothing and shut his eyes, tears rolling down his cheeks. Uuka was right...he was a tool, he was stupid and idiotic. He left a home that would've kept him safe.

The man got up, not feeling into violating the child. He retied his loin cloth around his waist and yanked Yuuen up by his hair, tightening the rope around his wrists and dragged him down the trail, meeting up with the rest of his crew, who didn't seem to like the look on their leaders face. He looked lost, but angry. And the aggressive way he was dragging their captive, it seemed that something happened while they were away waiting. But they decided against asking about it and continued on their way.

The rest of the day was spent traveling. And when they finally found a decent camping spot, Uuka tied Yuuen to a nearby tree, tying up his neck to a branch and his wrists against his neck rope. Yuuen didn't say a word as the men walked away to hunt for their dinner. He relaxed against the tree, no longer crying but he was horribly depressed. He felt sick down to his core. After the story Uuka had told him about how he compared Yuuen to his brother, there was nothing left in his body as far as worth went. He felt more than depressed...like he suddenly died inside.

There was no point in wanting to go home now. After hearing that story, including the nightmare he had hours before, it seemed like it was a lost cause. Yuuen sighed and leaned his head back, seeing that he could see some of the stars in the sky this time. He saw large stars, brighter than the rest, seemingly in shapes. He saw one in particular and he suddenly remembered a tale his father told him when he was really young, maybe 5 years old.

Yuni had told Yuuen a story of the purpose of the big dipper when he asked about a large pot in the sky at night. Yuni told him that it would slowly fill with water at night and when the rainy seasons came, it would empty out over the land, giving water to the areas who needed it. Yuuen would smile and ask about the smaller pot next to it and Yuni said that was filling with snow, which would fall in the winter in smaller areas.

"Oh father...I'm so sorry..."

Tears ran down Yuuen's cheeks again and he hung his head as much as he could, wanting his father to hold him, wanting to embrace him like he used to when he was younger and afraid. Yuni would always wrap the small child in his fur cloak and rock him back to sleep, whispering how much he loved his child, and that he wouldn't give up him or Yuuli for anything.

If memory made matters worse, Yuuen started thinking about how worried Yuuli must be. His brother must be angry with him for leaving, but scared for his baby brothers safety. He could remember Yuuli and those smug little comments he made when things when bad or even good on a hunting trip. And while Yuuen would always wollow in self pity about being a bad hunter, Yuuli would lift his spirits with a joke about something the other hunters did on the trip. Somehow, it always seemed to cheer him up.

"Brother..."

He leaned his head back, feeling the tears grow larger and more painful. They ran down his face, dripping down his chin. He was almost expecting Emba to gently wipe them away and kiss under his eyes...Yuuen's eyes widened and that's when it hit him hard.

Emba would always be strict, but gentle with him. When Yuuen was sad and in tears, he would pull him into his lap and wipe them away with his thumb, kissing under his ear. When they were together with the rest of the tribe, they would hold hands and Emba would lightly kiss his knuckles. And when they were alone and in their tent, it would be as if no one else was around at all. Emba would make love to him in such tender ways, touching and kissing him. Yuuen never felt so safe with something like this before. After it all, he would be so happy.

The soft, warm memories were too much for Yuuen's broken heart and mind to bare. He slammed his head hard against the tree and let out an ear piercing scream, sobbing horribly. He yanked on his bindings, cutting into his wrists and neck, his screaming growing louder and louder, his throat getting sore. He continued to bang his head on the tree and pull at his bindings. Somewhere down the line, he bit into his tongue, wanting nothing more then to silence himself for good. He wanted to die...it's all he wanted to do now.

His screaming and banging drew the attention of his captors, who growled and smacked the boy across the face numerous times to shut him up. When what didn't work, they untied him from the tree and pushed him onto the dirt, punching into his pale face. Uuka didn't say much. All he did was watch as his crew beat the boy within an inch of his young life. And when he did stop them, he knelled down and looked at Yuuen's beaten face.

His once pale face was covered in purple bruises and dark scars and cuts. There was a large bruise on both of his sides and his neck felt chaffed. He was shivering and whimpering, sobbing softly in his cut up arms. Uuka sighed and stood, popping his neck and turned to his crew, saying,

"Do with him as you please. I'm going back to find us some food."

He walked off down the trail and his men smirked, removing their loin cloths and walked towards the boy, who was still sobbing softly.

He gasped suddenly when his legs were yanked and pulled up to his ears, his ankles held by one of the other men. His arms were pinned down by the mans knees. Yuuen tried to struggle, crying out madly when he felt the mans fingers trail around his tightening entrance. He screamed when three fingers were forced inside, thrusting quickly and rough.

Yuuen pretty much blocked everything else out. He blacked out long before he felt his captors abuse him once again.

* * *

><p>Back at the tribe, Yuni sat against a tree branch, staring out at the large lake, a pipe in his hands. The last few days were hectic, among other things...all for the same reason as usual.<p>

Weeks turned to months...still no sign of the young boy...he was almost ready to just give up hope. There was no way Yuuen was still alive after this long period of time.

Bringing the pipe to his lips, Yuni inhaled then quickly exhaled, thinking back about what Yuuen had said days prior to his running away...

_"It matters to me...I'm nothing. I'm useless to this tribe and the tribe of our allies...I can't do anything without screwing up."_

"Why...would you say something like that?"

Sighing, Yuni threw his pipe into the lake, no longer needing the desire to smoke. He stood and turned to walk back to the village, walking past everyone who shot him a look of grave concern. They all saw what these last few months were doing to their chief and it was slowly hurting them all in the same way.

Yuni walked back into his tent, wanting to just curl up and sleep again, dreaming of holding his son in his arms once again, like he used to all those years ago. But when he walked in, he saw Emba sitting in there, in a bowing position and a look of sadness on his face. Without looking up, he said,

"Forgive me, chief..."

"Forgive you? Forgive you for what? You've done nothing wrong."

Emba shook his head and said,

"No, you're wrong. I have done something wrong. Terribly wrong...I broke my promise to you."

Yuni tilted his head. Promise...when did Emba ever promise him anything?

Emba sighed when he got no response and said,

"I made you a promise a year ago...that I would do anything to keep him safe. I gave up everything for the purpose of making sure he was unharmed and happy...I failed."

Yuni swore he heard a slight break in the mans voice as he spoke, which was rare being that he never saw Emba shed a tear for anyone, Yuuen included. Perhaps the boy's running away tugged at enough of Emba's heart strings that his tough interior was shedding. He walked over to the man and set his hand on his head, running his fingers through his hair, trying to calm him down.

"Emba...what happened wasn't your fault. Yuuen ran away for whatever reason he thought was rational...I know it hurts...it's hurt for what feels like years now."

The chief sat down in front of his friends son and all was silent for a little while. Yuni wanted to smoke his pipe again, but quickly remembered that he threw it in the lake. He groaned silently, rubbing his head. It killed him to even consider what he wanted to consider, but he had no choice. He couldn't risk coming up dry again for every search...

"Emba...it's time we called off the search. It has been over 4 months now...perhaps longer. We can't keep this up anymore...it pains me to say it...but I feel like I have lost hope in finding Yuuen. There's only so much area we can cover in such a short amount of time in the day...I'm sorry."

Yuni stood and turned to leave the tent, in hopes of getting another pipe from Salem, but stopped when he heard Emba let out a choked breath. He didn't turn again to face the man. He just left, not wanting to face the reality of his choice. Tears fell from his eyes and he tried so hard to be strong...

Emba left the tent a few moments after, a look of heart break on his face. With the search over, there would be nothing to take his mind off his own sadness. No doubt Yuuli knew the search was over already and if not, he was going to be distraught for a while.

Sighing, he walked over to his own tent, layed in the bedding and once again, stared at the empty space that Yuuen used to occupy. He rubbed it with his hand and felt it was so cold to the touch, as if it knew Yuuen was no longer alive and no longer coming home. He couldn't accept the fact that the boy who melted his heart was gone. No, he was out there still and he wasn't dead. There was no way he could give up that easy.

Emba then closed his eyes and tried to pull himself into sleep, but it never came. He opened his eyes and was greeted with the memory of Yuuen's sleeping form in his space, his bright hair fallen in front of his face, eyes shut and face so peaceful.

The man knew it wasn't real, but he couldn't stop himself. He reached over to move Yuuen's hair like he used to...and the vision faded away...

Tears fell onto the fur bedding as the man gripped the empty space, heart broken and afraid of the possibility that Yuuen truly was gone. Pride was no longer an issue in this tent, nor was strength or power. When they were alone in this tent, nothing else mattered but them. Emba could open himself up around Yuuen when they were alone like this. And with him gone...it seemed so much more colder...

_TBC..._

_Preview for next chapter_

_Someone was screaming in the lake, that much he could make out. Emba squinted his eyes to try and see who was out there.  
><em>

_He took two steps in and the screaming got louder.  
><em>

_Another two steps in the screaming grew frantic.  
><em>

_A final two steps in...and he saw a flash of golden hair fly as it fell back into the lake.  
><em>


	9. Chapter 9

Oh...my...god...FINALLY!

After oh so long, it's finally done! I'm so sorry to keep you all waiting for this and not for the others. But this was the closest one to being done so I figured I had to finish it up.

So here it is. The final chapter to Save Me. I might change the name of the story though...not liking it anymore. If anyone has any good title ideas for this story, message me and the best one gets a virtual cookie and a hug. Lol.

Again, so sorry it took so long. School is becoming HELL. And I mean that literally. We're being threatened to get shut down so it's becoming a hassle to learn things at a quickened pace.

And on another note before I let you finish the story...thank GOD for I-phones and personal hot spots. Guess who has internet now because of it and can finally finish the work?

This girl!

* * *

><p><em>"There is no greater pain than that of losing someone you love..."<em>

This phrase haunted Yuuen for quite some time and frankly, it was annoying.

In a way, he had lost someone he loved...he loved many people and he lost them to his stupidity and childlike attitude towards his life. It was unlike him to even consider the facts, much less go over them in his head just one more time. It was meaningless. It was all meaningless.

Yuuen's head weakly raised up to look at the sky. It was bright blue, white clouds soaring over head...he chuckled. It was going to be a beautiful day...

It signaled the middle of the afternoon, in turn signaled his kidnappers to return to camp for their lunch, break for 20 minutes to abuse Yuuen's body for amusement, then return to their hunt. He sighed. After many months of being raped and abused by these men, he was far too used to it to be resistant. True, he would continue to scream and panic in pain as they dry slammed him, but he gave up trying to resist.

After all, what was the point of it all? He gave up everything.

He suddenly heard the sound of their laughter and immediantly made a mental note to shut his mouth. Not that he was talking or anything; he just made a habit to not speak when they returned for whatever reason.

He saw Uka walking towards him with a smile on his face. Yuuen shut his eyes, not caring about what the man did anymore and-

A piece of meat was shoved into his mouth and while it took him by surprise, his taste buds exploded in awe...meat...it was lion meat, tangy, sweet, chewy...

...Delicious...

Yuuen moaned at the taste, savoring it was he chewed slowly before swallowing it. It tasted even better going down his throat as he suddenly craved more. He couldn't stop himself from looking up at Uuka with a desperate stare, making the man laugh in mock satisfaction.

"Is there something that you want from me, boy?"

Yuuen blindly nodded, his head nodding up and down rapidly.

"Ahhhhh is it that meat you want? Is that it?"

Again, Yuuen nodded rapidly.

"Haha! I figured that's what you want. You want this? You want this piece of meat? This one here?"

He held it right over Yuuen's head, directly under his mouth. Said boys mouth was open, trying to get the food he longed for. But he knew the man was just humiliating him this way, but he was so hungry, he didn't care anymore. He wanted that meat, small or big.

Uuka smirked. He knew forcing the boy food he'd been denied for so long would drive him crazy with hunger. It would be more entertaining to him and the tribe. He handed the meat over to one of his tribesmen, then untied his loin cloth, walking closer to the boy and said,

"If you want special treats, I must get something in return. Now...suck me off."

He wasn't sure if it was the sudden lust for lion meat that drove him to do it. He wasn't sure if it was insanity that drove him to say it. All he knew was, he said it and now it sealed his fate for the remainder of the day.

"Yes master...I'll give you what you want."

And he dove in (as much as his restraints would allow) to nearly swallow the mans girth, sucking madly. He wanted it. He wanted it so bad.

He wanted to eat that piece of lion meat.

He sucked roughly and with purpose, moaning loudly as his mind tricked him into thinking the mans cock tasted of lion meat and it drove Yuuen crazy.

It had felt like years since he last ate lion meat and now that the taste returned to his taste buds...

His eyes snapped open when he felt Uuka's cum splash down his throat, taking him by surprise and he choked, coughing madly as the man removed himself from his mouth. Then, he chuckled and pushed the lion meat into Yuuen's mouth. He wasted no time in devouring the whole thing in a few seconds, then relaxed against the tree. He vaguely heard the men laugh and trail off down their hunting path, but when he heard silence, he relished it. He lived for the quiet time.

He gave a sad smile to himself, sitting against his restraints and stared up at the sky again, not caring about the humiliation of what just happened. All he wanted was his alone time to think about all that's happened to him in the months he had been away.

And he sighed, laying his head against the tree, eyes moving towards a bush of berries that he usually saw the men gather for their drinks and medicine. They reminded him of the berries his sister in law used for healing methods.

Yuuen's eyes clouded over at the thought of eating those berries. He had heard numerous times that eating so many of those berries could kill someone. And it was quite often Yuuen thought about taking his own life. Often being at least 4 times out of his usual day.

His eyes slowly began to close, the sounds of the small breeze lulling him to sleep again.

The sound of frantic running around is what woke Yuuen up after a few hours. He heard shouting as well, which wasn't a good sign. His eyes weakly opened and was sudden greeted with Uuka tying a bag together, slinging it over his shoulder and whistled to his men to rid the rest of the camp site. Meanwhile, he ran over and untied Yuuen's bindings, retied the rope around his neck and wrists and yanked him to follow.

As much of in pain as he was, Yuuen couldn't help but feel a little confused at what had spooked his captors so bad that they packed up so quickly to leave. Were they discovered?

He prayed. Ohhhh Yuuen prayed they were discovered. Maybe he could finally be free and could finally go home after so long...if he even wanted to face his family again.

Ugh, again with thinking about his family. He had to stop doing that.

"Let's go, brat. You're moving too slow."

His feet moved on their own as he quickly ran up to Uuka and followed the men away from their camp site. His head hurt, his feet like he had been stepping on thorns for 4 years (it felt like years), his eyes hurt, his whole body was aching from all the whippings and scars and other open wounds that he was certain were infected by now.

The yank on his neck increased as the men started running. Running? Since when did they run from anything?

Nevertheless, he ran to keep up, his feet aching so much more. Any day now he would collapse under his own aching pressure.

The sound of a mountain lion from behind them caught his attention. Ahhhh that's why they were running. A lion had sneaked into the camp site.

Hours passed it seemed before they finally slowed down and all the men relaxed against trees; Yuuen couldn't hold himself up anymore. He collapsed under his feet onto his knees, exhausted. There was no way he could hold himself up anymore. He was too thin, too weak, too tired...

Uuka sighed and leaned his head back against the trunk, listening to his men take in deep breaths, panting.

"Did you see the size of that thing?"

"If we had our weapons ready, we could have easily killed and eaten that thing. Would have made such a delious feast."

"It would have if we were prepared. I don't want this to happen again. Do you hear me? If anyone hears something like that again, weapons ready. Understood?"

The men all nodded and stood up to get ready to leave again. The sun was rising and they needed to keep moving. Uuka stood and pulled his rope, but when he felt a large tug, he turned to see the boy still on his knees, trying to stand, but failing every time. He would stand, then his legs would shake uncontrollably and he would fall.

Yuuen tried once again, but failed and fell to the dirt, whimpering at the ache in his feet and legs. And when he saw Uuka standing in front of him, a dark glare on his face, the boy whimpered.

"Please...I can't go anymore...it hurts to stand..."

It was begging he was reduced to, but he couldn't help it. There was no way he could go on unless he was dead.

The man looked over the boy a few times and saw how bad of shape his legs were in, much like the rest of him. He was terribly thin, his hair was dirty and so long, long enough to cover his whole face. And for once...he took pity on the boy.

He sighed again, this time in irritation. He got to his knees in front of Yuuen and picked him up, threw him over his shoulder and carried on his way, not paying attention to the confused stares of his men. Even Yuuen was confused. This man had abused him, rape him, starved him and was now helping him...hell froze over, Yuuen was sure of it.

The group carried on for miles...eventually Yuuen passed out over Uuka's shoulder...

And when he woke up, he found himself up against a tree...not restrained. This was new. The group never left him unrestrained before. He bolted up right, regretting it instantly as his back started to ache, but ignored it as he began looking around. There was no camp site set out for them, no fire base set up. He didn't see anything except the foot prints in the moonlight.

Foot prints...and they didn't look fresh at all...that could only mean one thing...

Yuuen's eyes widened as he smiled...and started laughing. He was laughing and he was in shock...

They set him free...he was free...

The realization that he was free was hard for him to totally grasp. Too long had he felt the joy of not having ropes around his neck and waist. And now he was free...

But then it suddenly dawned on him...where would he go? How would he live? He was too weak to move, less alone hunt for food.

Well, the least he could do now was try. Taking in a deep breath, he grasped the bark of the tree and slowly, very slowly, began to stand up. His legs shook horribly, but after a while he stood up straight-ish and let out a shuddering sigh. Ok, step one done. While still holding a death grip on the tree, he moved his left foot out to try and walk. The moment his foot touched the dirt, it began to shake, then settle down. He continued this for a while, feeling ridiculous for teaching himself how to walk again. He eventually began walking normally and once he had perfect footing, he made his way down the trail, just walking.

That's all he could do now was walk...walk and hope...pray someone would find and help him.

* * *

><p>-In the village-<p>

The festive of the harvest came early this year. While it was still cold at night, the land had blessed them with bountiful crops. The women gathered around the fire, laughing and chatting away, weaving baskets for the flowers and fruits. The hunters sharpened up their spears for the mornings hunt as usual. Yuuli sat with his wife and son, bouncing Naavi on his knee, laughing at his smiling child. It was a sad smile, but a smile nonetheless. His wife set a comforting hand on his knee, knowing why he was upset. And she smiled, telling him that everything would be ok and that whatever happened, was probably meant to happen.

It didn't settle his nerves though. The thought of his brother dead for some purpose didn't set well with him. But he had to move on. Yuuen was dead...they called off the search...it was time to move on...

His eyes averted from hers and onto the tent that used to house both Yuuen and Emba. Now, it housed only one and it's only occupant had refused to come out since the dismissal of the search. Yuuli understood why. Emba had lost the only person who he willingly opened his heart to. It was no wonder he was being stubborn.

He sighed and hugged his son to his chest.

He then jumped when he saw out of the corner of his eye Emba leaving the tent and walk down to the lake, where he would usually sit and stare at the water, killing whatever he found in there. With Yuuen gone, his heart hardened even more then it did when they first met the man. He was a shell now, housing a broken heart. Yuuli felt so bad for him...

The man walked down to his usual spot and sat down, throwing rocks into the water. His eyes were a dark shade of pain. It was like this for quite a while. Nothing made him smile anymore. His own nephew couldn't make him smile...well, that's not true. The fact that little Naava was in his life made his heart jump a little. It took some of the pain away.

The water was getting calmer, meaning it was getting colder. This happened a lot at night, Emba noticed...but in the back of his mind, all he could see was a visual of Yuuen's frozen corpse in the lake, floating towards him. And he shook the thought away. He never wanted to face the reality of Yuuen's death; but since the dismissal, it was all he could think about.

He knew Yuuli went into his tent and screamed after getting the news. Yuni sobbed for hours with Salem with him, comforting him as much as he could. And Emba went into the forest, cutting and slicing everything he layed his eyes on.

It was hard to hear obviously. But they knew they had to face the fact sometime.

Letting out a shuddering breath, he threw a stick into the water, watching the ripples fade...

He whispered,

"Yuuen..."

and hid his face in his knees, trying not to cry again. Tears would do no good in a situation like this. He had to suck it up, hard as it was and move on. He would have to learn to open his heart again, perhaps find love again, if it were possible.

Sighing, he stood to go walk back to his tent and go to sleep, wanting to put these awful few months behind him...when splashing caught his attention. And it wasn't so much the noise that caught his attention. Fish didn't make that noise, if any. That sounded like someone was drowning.

He turned to look back out at the lake and from a far distance, he could see something or something splashing about. Too far to do much of anything...Emba rubbed his head. It was starting to ache horribly. He turned again; then he heard it.

"..ba!...one hel..."

It was someone drowning. And that someone was screaming in the lake, that much he could make out. Once again, Emba turned and squinted his eyes, trying to see who was out there as he took small steps into the lake.

He took two steps in and the screaming got louder.

Another two steps in the screaming grew frantic.

A final two steps in...and he saw a flash of golden hair fly as it fell back into the lake.

-Back track a few moments-

Yuuen was beyond his limits of exertion. His legs were still shaking horribly, but he continued on. He had to find a tribe that could help him. His thoughts trailed to Uta's tribe...how he had helped a stranger in need...then his thoughts trailed to his home.

There was no way they remembered him by now. They had probably moved on. Emba probably had another lover by now. A woman even, one with long hair and wide hips, beautiful eyes, kissable lips...

Yuuen stopped and clutched the stones in front of him, his hand clutching his heart. The thought of Emba making love to someone else terrified him. He couldn't live with the thought...with a shuddering sigh, he continued his way. Why would it bother him if Emba had someone else? After all, Yuuen was the one that left the tribe...left his love...he didn't expect Emba to wait.

Tears ran down his cheeks as he walked. He barley noticed he was walking along the edge of a cliff. His heart was heavy and it hurt like hell.

He started to stagger back and forth, no longer able to see where he was going...until he lost his footing and slipped off the cliff. It took only a few seconds for him to realize he was falling. He left leg smashed onto a large rock as he fell; he felt it crunch out of place and when he finally screamed, he slammed into a lake full speed.

He was submerged, unable to swim up with his seemingly broken leg and could only wait until he floated to the surface. He eventually used his arms to force himself up and once he reached the surface he took a lungful of air and screamed...knowing no one would hear him. He splashed around, screaming Emba's name out of instinct, screaming for someone to help him.

He was losing breath quickly and he lost all functions in his body. He pushed himself passed his limits and was paying the price for it. He slowly began to sink into the lake. He was going to die here...he could feel his heart slowing down bit by bit.

Until he felt arms wrap around his torso and force him up into the surface, then the rest was a blur. He was being moved away from the water. Someone had saved him...

His mind registered that he was gently placed on grass and his hair was moved from his face. He could feel the cold breeze on his cheeks. But he couldn't move, couldn't open his eyes, anything. All he could do was allow whoever saved him to try and get him to respond...

And Emba would do just that. At the sight of the golden hair in the water, he gasped and darted into the lake, swimming for whoever was in there. When he finally got to them, he wrapped his arms around their chest and quickly swam back to the land, gently placing the body on the grass.

It took him a few moments to gain the courage to know who this was...he already knew who this was, but he had to be sure. He moved the hair from his face and let out a loud gasp. He was right...he was right...

He looked dreadful, worse the dreadful. He looked dead.

He was so thin, covered in bruises and scars. Emba couldn't believe his eyes. He gently reached over to touch the boys face, jumping when he felt him jerk and eyes gently fluttering open. They locked onto Emba's eyes, like he wasn't real.

But then he smiled and reached for Emba's shaking palm. He grasped it and pressed it back to his cheek, whispering,

"You...you're not...a dream...you're...r-real."

Emba lost all composure then and there. He let out a heart wrenching sob onto Yuuen's bruised chest, tears falling over his slow heart beat.

He couldn't believe this. His wish came true. His lover was alive. Alive and hear in front of him. Brutelly inured and in dire need of help, but alive no less. Pulling himself up, he took another look at his lovers beaten face and leaned over to kiss his forehead.

Tears escaped Yuuen's tired eyes and he whispered,

"Emba...it hurts."

"What? What hurts?"

"...everything. My head, my body, my heart, it hurts...I'm so cold..."

Nodding, Emba maunuvered his arms to take Yuuen back to the tribe, but stopped when Yuuen gave a sudden cry of pain, making Emba suddenly remove his arms. Yuuen was in too much pain to be moved right now, but he needed to see his sister for his broken leg and wounds. He rubbed Yuuen's head, telling him that he'd get him a fur cloak to wrap him in, to keep him warm. But in order to do that, someone would have to watch the injured boy. There was no way Emba would leave him alone like this.

Quick thinking was the obvious choice. He turned his and screamed out Yuni's name as loud as he could. Within seconds, the chief was running to the noise and upon seeing Emba, who frantically said,

"I need your cloak! He's freezing, we have to help him!"

Yuni looked down to see the body of his missing son, eyes open, tears falling and his breath ragged. His naked body was a mess of wounds and it was all Yuni needed to see before he screamed and ran to his sons side. Quickly, he removed his fur cloak and wrapped it around Yuuen's shaking body, scooping him up into his arms and rocking him gently, tears rolling down his cheeks. Emba, not saying a word, ran back to the tribe in inform his sister and grab her medical herbs.

Yuni couldn't believe what he was seeing. His son...his child, here he was, alive but in a great deal of pain. He cradled the boy in his arms, trying to control his tears, but he couldn't. He held on tightly, never letting go of Yuuen's trembling form. The chief gently layed a hand on Yuuen's cheek, gasping at how cold he really was. If he didn't get warmed up soon, he'd die.

The man quickly got to his feet and scooped the boy into his arms, making a mad dash towards the tribes site. In his arms, Yuuen gave a small groan, but that was it.

Yuni ran towards the fire, ignoring the stares people gave him and layed his son in front of the fire, gently moving the cloak aside and heard everyone gasp. Yuni payed no mind to them as Emba's sister came out, trying to contain her shock at seeing the young boy and got to work. She barley said a word as she looked over Yuuen's body, her gentle hands trailing over his open scars, listening to his gasps of pain. She trailed lower and lighty squeezed Yuuen's left leg. That got a reaction.

He arched his back and screamed at the sharp pain in his leg, making her jump back and wipe a few tears.

"My god, what's happened to him...his leg is horribly dislocated and his wounds are terrible. I need some rope and two tree logs to make a brace. I also need some meniro paste from my tent...Quickly! If I don't do anything now, he'll die!"

Everyone quickly realized what was happening here was no joke. Yuni ran to her tent to not only grab her supplies, but to inform his oldest son.

"Yuuli, get out here now. There's something you need to see."

Yuuli, confused, left his sleeping son and walked over to where a mob of people were crowding over. He heard his wife yell

"Step back! Give him air!"

And at that, he knew exactly was was going on, He pushed through the crowd of people and came face to face with the sight of his baby brother, wounded and near dead next to the fire. Emba was holding his hand, seemingly never letting go and rubbing his knuckles. Occasionally, he kissed the boys hand.

Yuuli was frozen in his feet, not quite sure how to take the sight in front of him. For one thing, he wasn't sure if he was dreaming or not, seeing Yuuen like this. But he also wasn't sure if his stun silence was just that of pure mortification.

He slowly walked up to the shaking body and took his other hand, rubbing the cold fingers. Yuuen turned his weak head to look at him and he smiled slightly.

"B...rother..."

The mans mouth opened, then closed again...still unsure of how to take this. But when Yuuen screamed as Yuuli's wife stretched out his leg to set it in the make shift cast, his grip tightened on his brothers hand. Nothing scared him more then this.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, she sat back and tilted her head over her work. Yuuen now had a make shift brace on his broken leg, smothered in a gel she created out of the paste to make it heal faster. She also covered his wounds with the paste and covered them with bandages. He was panting madly, trying to regain his breath. She knew he must have been so tired, that he could possibly pass out right now. Without wasting more time thinking, she got some water and mixed it with the last of the paste, making a drink that was a mild blue color. She tilted Yuuen's head up a little and told him to drink it down, and that it would help any internal injuries he might have.

Yuuen was exhausted. All he wanted to do was go to sleep and hopefully wake up in his tent and not in a cold ditch. If drinking this was the last thing he had to do, then he would do it. He felt the cup press to his lips and he drank the liquid down without a second thought. It was cooling and it soothed his throat greatly. Once the drink was finished, his head fell back against the dirt and he shut his eyes. He was getting such a large headache.

She smiled and set the cup down, looking to her husband and her father's friend.

"He'll be fine now. It seemed as though none of his injuries, thought they looked it, were enough to kill him. They were large enough to just cause him great pain. The thing that would have killed him was if they got infected, treated poorly or not at all, or even just exhaustion. But he's home now, so he'll be fine...though I am surprised...he ran away from home...was gone for so long and was pronounced dead...yet here he is, alive."

She gently moved some of his hair away from his face and she kissed his cheek.

"He's strong...and he has such will power to live...Emba, put him to bed. I think all he wants now is to sleep."

Her brother nodded and turned to look at Yuuli and Yuni, who couldn't take their eyes off of the boy. Emba didn't move him yet. He wanted to see if his family wanted a few moments with him.

He cleared his throat.

"Chief...would you...like a moment?"

His voice startled Yuni from his thoughts and he shook his head to gain his bearings. He wanted to...oh how he wanted to just hold his son to his form and never let go. But he was deathly tired, he could see that now. Yuuen's eyes were barley open at all and his breathing was raged. He knew his son needed sleep and rest and he needed it now. He shook his head again.

"No, Emba. Get him into bed. We'll have our moments with him when he's ready and strong enough to handle it."

Emba nodded and gently, oh so gently, took his love in his arms and carried him to their tent. The minute he stepped into the tent, the cold, dark emptiness that had surrounded it had suddenly been changed back into the warm and peaceful home he knew from before. He gently put Yuuen on their bedding and he gasped when he felt the comforting fur touch his back, his muscles gave way to the relaxation that had befallen him.

He curdled himself in the bedding and felt Emba set the blanket over his body; He smiled and whispered,

"Thank you..."

Emba smiled...for the first time in a long time, he smiled. He got to his knees and rubbed the boys face, kissing his cheek and told him to sleep. He stood to leave, but was stopped when he felt a hand grab his ankle, keeping him from moving.

"Wait...Emba...I'm so sorry..."

His head perked. Those words meant many things right now. It meant an explanation for why the hell Yuuen put his family through all this misery.

He turned his lightly slightly and let out a loud sigh.

"Yuuen, it's alright. You're home, that's all that matters. Go to sleep."

"...N-no..."

The man sighed again. As much as he wanted a full explanation as to why Yuuen left them so suddenly, he also wanted the boy strong enough to handle the stress of telling him. He noticed Yuuen wouldn't let go of his ankle, so he figured now was a good a time as any.

He turned quickly, sat down in front of him and gave him a stern glare.

"Alright. Answer me this. Why did you do it? Why did you run from us?"

He saw the boy's eyes close a little and he let out a small whimpering sigh before trying to sit up. Emba tried to stop him, but Yuuen stopped him first, then sat up and set his hands in his lap. It was quiet for a little bit as Yuuen tried to think of a way to explain this. Only, there was one problem.

He could barley remember why he ran away in the first place. It seemed like so long ago that he couldn't remember it in strong detail. So, he did what he could. He mustered what he could remember.

"Emba...I-I'm not saying I don't remember...but I can't remember fully of why I did what I did...the only thing I remember is being sick and feeling like a burden. Honest...that's all I remember."

"Wait a minute...you mean the reason you ran away...was because you felt like a burden because you were sick?"

Yuuen's head gave a gentle nod...and his head was snapped to the side as he felt Emba's palm smack him across the face. He had expected that. But he didn't expect Emba to immediantly crush him into such a tight hug. He felt the mans breath in his hair and he gave a soft gasp as Emba's hand wandered up his wounded back. He felt him kiss the side of his neck and whisper,

"You idiot...you spoiled...brat...idiot...how could you ever think yourself a burden to us? To me? Yuuen, you of all people should know by now that nothing you do is a burden to me. I love you. Nothing will change that."

"B-but...you didn't...find anyone else when I was gone?"

"Heh, no. I spent my whole time worrying about you...no one could ever change my hearts desire for you. Don't you remember? I promised that from this world to the next, my soul was yours."

Yuuen couldn't believe his ears. How long was he even gone for?

"You waited this long...for me?"

"I'd do it again if I was forced to."

There was no way to comprehend the amount of air Yuuen let out in his sobbing breath as he wrapped his arms around the love he foolishly left behind. He gripped the back of his neck, sobbing greatly.

"Oh Emba...I'm so sorry...I shouldn't have left you. I shouldn't have left home. It was horrible out there. All I could manage was getting myself in more trouble. The other hunters were right. I can't do anything without messing up."

"Messing up? Yuuen, listen to what you just said. And think about what you just did. You spent over 6 months away from home. And here we thought you were dead but you came back to us, alive. That seems to me like you managed just fine. Yes, you came back in horrible condition, but you survived. That alone is a great accomplishment. I'm not saying you should ever do this again, however. Because if you did, I would hunt you down, drag you back to the tribe and restrain you in here. Understand?"

Yuuen nodded, very tired, but awake enough to understand what he was saying. And Emba gave a shuddering sigh of content, tilting his head up and lightly kissed his lips. Yuuen inhaled his gasp.

Oh yes...after 6 months, Emba's lips were like fresh fruit to him. He wrapped his weak arms around his neck and buried his hands into his lovers hair, trying so hard to deepen the kiss. Emba noticed that Yuuen was becoming anxious, he always did over a kiss like this. But this wasn't the time for that. Yuuen didn't need anything like that right now. He needed rest.

He gently pushed away and looked into his lovers eyes, bloodshot as they were and he smiled. He kissed Yuuen's head, saying

"Go to sleep. We'll have time to catch up later. I'll be right here though, if you need me. I won't leave your side anymore."

The boy nodded again and slowly layed back on the bedding, curdling into the blankets. The feel of the warm fur on his freezing skin, his head no longer aching on solid ground, and the feel of Emba's large hand running through his hair was enough to lull him back to what was long overdue: Peaceful slumber.

It was the sound of women chattering that woke Yuuen up that next morning. And his head wasn't sore as it usually was. The only pain he felt was deep in his left leg, which was still in a brace. Slowly, he sat up and rubbed his head, running his fingers through his hair, which was slightly tangled. And he looked around, seeing that was in a tent...from the looks of the weaponry, he'd say it was his own tent that he was sitting in. When did he set foot back into his own tent?

...

Then it hit him. It hit him so suddenly.

He remembered falling off a cliff and into the cold lake, that he was drowning. But then someone saved him. Emba saved him...Yuuen wrapped his arms around his body, eyes wide with the realization that the love he left behind saved his life once again. He couldn't believe it. He just couldn't believe it.

Tears sprung in his eyes and he smiled, wiping them away. If Emba saved his life, then that meant he had brought him back to the tribe. So this wasn't a dream. Yuuen was truly home.

Movement outside the tent sturred him from his thoughts and he turned to see his brother walking in with a bowl of hot food in his hand, a cup of water in the other. They locked eyes for a moment. It was quiet before he walked over to Yuuen, got to his knees and set the items gently on the ground. Then, he threw his arms around Yuuen's form, hugging him tightly, tears falling over his cheeks. It took the boy a moment to register that Yuuli was crying on his shoulder, but he wrapped his arms around his older brother, comforting him. He knew it was hard to grasp that seeing Yuuen alive was a real thing.

"Oh Yuuen...oh god, why?"

"Why what?"

"Why did you run away? Why did you put us through all that hell? We thought you were dead!"

The same question Emba asked him came up with the same result...

"I...can't remember why. I don't remember a lot of these last few months, honestly. I was sick, that I remember though. Brother, please don't be angry. But even if I could remember why I did what I did, I don't think even I could understand it myself."

"Yuuen, you put us through a lot looking for you. I cried myself to sleep numerous times at the thought of my baby brother dead. I can't go through that again. Whatever pushed you to do it, please...don't do it again."

Yuuen put his hand on his brothers shoulder and gave him a gentle smile, a smile that said 'I would never hurt my family like this ever again.' And Yuuli smiled back, hugging him to his chest again.

"I'm so happy you're safe. You have no idea how happy I am that you're home."

"I'm happy too, brother.,,,,I'm happy too..."

Time took its toll as Yuuli helped Yuuen out of the tent and into the sunshine, the smiling faces of the tribe as they hugged him, kissed his face and welcomed him home. Yuuen was stunned to see that no one was angry at him for running away, but he could very well see why. Yuni and Salem walked out of their tent and within seconds, Yuuen was in his fathers arms, lips on his head and an ear full of 'If you ever do this again, you will see what happens when you make your father angry' so to speak kind of lecture. And Yuuen laughed, even knowing his father was serious.

Salem set his hand on the boys shoulder and welcomed him home, hugging him tightly. Yuuen smiled. Home...he missed it here. He could've lied to himself for years if he could. He missed his home.

The day went on as it usually would, all while Yuuen was being tended to by his sister in law and her friends. He felt a little smothered, but he didn't say a word as she worked on his wounds, changing the bandages and applied more of that paste to them.

Supper rolled around and Yuuen felt as though he hadn't eaten in eons. The smell of the roasting lion and bear, fish and fruits, it made his mouth water. It was then he realized that he had been starved for a while with those poachers. He ate with his brother and his little nephew, noting how he hadn't seen Emba all day today. He was probably angry at him and was letting off some steam. Yuuen would handle that. After all, it's what he was expecting.

The moon was high when everyone went into their tents for the night as some of the hunters were up for watch. Yuuen sat on the bedding and rubbed his shoulder, feeling a rough scar there that would probably never fade away. He would have plenty of them, he knew that much.

His eyes turned to see Emba walk in, smiling at him and just that smile sent shivers up Yuuens spine. While he was unsure that any kind of sexual acts were on the table because of Yuuen's experiences and pains, it still gave him the chills when Emba smiled that way. The man walked over to him and gave him a gentle kiss to his aching neck and whispered,

"I love you...so very much."

"I love you too, Emba. And I'm still so sorry for what I did."

"Don't worry about it. It's done and gone now. Let's focus on the here and now."

Emba reached into his bag and pulled out a flower, a flower that Yuuen quickly recognized. It was the very same flower Emba gave him the day of their personal vows, when the two tribes became one. The ones that only grew once a year and were hard to find.

Emba reached over and lightly tied it around Yuuen's right ankle. He kissed under his ear and said,

"I'm giving you the time you need to recover. While I can see the outer injuries, I'm fairly sure you've suffered others. Yuuen, did anyone...hurt you while you were away?"

Yuuen averted his eyes and blushed. It was all that Emba needed to see. His fists tightened in rage. This was one of the things he was afraid of. He always had haunting thoughts of anyone forcing themselves onto Yuuen and hurting him in some way like this.

His lovers soft hand touching his made him jump and look into those soft eyes. Yuuen smiled, as if saying 'Don't worry. I'll heal in time.' Emba smiled back, taking his hand and kissing his scarred knuckles. Eventually, he was dragged onto the bedding and chuckled as Yuuen pulled him in for a kiss.

Life was perfect again...

Yuuen did heal over time. His wounds cleared up, leaving only a few scars and his left leg mended in only 6 weeks. Once he was walking again, he opted to go out with the hunters. This shocked his father and Salem greatly. Yuuen quickly explained that he taught himself a way to finally hunt without fail. Curious, they allowed him to go.

They were right to let him go. The hunters came back with more meat then they usually came up with. And Yuuen appeared behind them, wrists drenched in blood and a bow and some arrows attached to his back. He gave the tribe a smirk of triumph. Yeah, archery, as Uta called it, was defiantly his strong point.

If anything, Yuuen found that his surprising coming home was a good thing. He didn't feel like a burden anymore. He could finally hunt with the others and never feel like a failure again. Emba was so impressed and so proud of him, that night of the hunting, they made strong, hard, passionate love in their tent. Yuuen was never a quiet lover to begin with, so this added the fuel to the fire.

And he had to admit. If he had never ran away from home, he wouldn't be feeling this confidante in himself. Maybe it was a good idea to get away from home for a while, regardless of how it turned out the first time. Maybe he could leave again, learn a little more by himself, get more knowledge and learn new ways to hunt, to scavenge, to weave, to collect, anything.

The groan beside him, being Emba in his sleep, made Yuuen smile as he curdled close to him.

Or he could just stay home and learn here too with others. Yeah, that works too.

End


End file.
